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Illinois officials have issued new licenses to 37 existing recreational marijuana dispensaries that will now allow them to also sell medical cannabis. The expanded opportunity for marijuana businesses comes as part of omnibus cannabis legislation that was passed by lawmakers and signed into law by Gov. JB Pritzker (D) this session. Last month, the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) posted a new form that adult-use marijuana dispensaries can fill out in order to get permission to begin selling medical cannabis, which is taxed at a much lower rate than adult-use products. IDFPR said in a press release on Thursday that the new move “greatly increases patient access across the state, while also eliminating unnecessary red tape for regulators and consumers alike.” It additionally gives newer dispensaries approved under social equity lotteries the chance to serve medical patients, “leveling the playing field for small businesses.” “Expanding access to medical cannabis is an important step toward ensuring Illinois patients have more options to obtain the medicine they rely on,” Mario Treto, Jr., secretary of IDFPR, said. “More dispensaries means better options and increased convenience for medical patients, while still maintaining the regulatory safeguards that protect patients and promote a safe and responsible cannabis industry.” Erin A. Johnson, the state’s cannabis regulation oversight officer, said “this is a monumental day for medical patients, who have long advocated for these changes.” The news of the state’s approval of the new medical cannabis licenses was first reported by The Cole Memo. Additional licenses will be issued on a continuing basis, officials said. The recently enacted law that allows the new medical licenses also doubles the amount of marijuana that adults can legally possess, allows drive-thrus and curbside pickups at dispensaries and lets them stay open for longer hours of operation, among other changes. It is the “biggest expansion of the medical cannabis market in Illinois since 2016,” IDFPR said. Rep. Bob Morgan (D), who championed the recently enacted marijuana bill, said that “expanding the number of dispensaries able to serve medical cannabis patients is good policy for Illinois.” “It means patients have greater access and more choices, while dispensaries have new opportunities to grow their businesses and better serve their communities,” he said. This is an important step toward building a stronger, more accessible medical cannabis program in Illinois.” IDFPR said in previously issued guidance about changes made by the new cannabis omnibus legislation that “any adult use dispensary holding an active license in good standing may opt-in for a medical dispensary license,” which will allow it to “sell cannabis to medical cannabis patients at the medical tax rate up to the medical patient’s allotment.” The medical cannabis sales option for adult-use businesses is part of SB 3222, which was approved by the legislature and signed by Gov. JB Pritzker (D) in June. As enacted into law, the measure also allows residents of the state who are over 21 years of age to possess up to 60 grams of marijuana flower—double the amount in prior law. They are also able to have up to 10 grams of cannabis concentrates and infused products with up to 1,000 mg of THC—also double the earlier limit. Possession amounts for adult non-residents are also doubled under the bill and are generally set at half of what residents can carry. Additionally, people with past convictions for possession of up to 60 grams of marijuana are now able to have those records expunged—double the previous cutoff allowing only those with convictions for up to 30 grams to be eligible. The legislation also recriminalizes hemp THC products with more than 0.4 milligrams of THC per container, in line with a federal ban that is set to take effect in November. The state’s list of medical marijuana qualifying conditions was also expanded to add female orgasmic disorder, endometriosis, ovarian cysts and uterine fibroids by the bill. Last month, Illinois regulators separately added sickle cell disease and polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome (PMOS) with chronic pain as new medical cannabis qualifying conditions. The governor held a signing ceremony for the cannabis expansion legislation at a marijuana dispensary, saying he is “proud that Illinois continues to lead the nation in showing what thoughtful, balanced cannabis policy can achieve.” In 2019, Pritzker signed the state’s initial marijuana legalization policy into law. The post Illinois Officials Approve More Dispensaries To Sell Medical Marijuana As Part Of The ‘Biggest Expansion’ Of The State’s Market In A Decade appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

“2028 sounds far away. But artwork gets locked with the printer weeks or months before the run. Then the boxes sit in a warehouse until they are used.” By Adrian A. Holguin, CannaShark Consulting Last month, California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signed AB 2249, a bill that puts a much clearer line around what cannabis packaging, labels and ads can look like. The short version: no child-oriented dragons, unicorns or wizards; nobody who looks under 21; no imagery of candy, cereal, sweets or desserts primarily marketed to children; no child-style bubble or balloon lettering; and no packaging that mimics a noncannabis product marketed to kids. The new definition takes effect on January 1, 2028. Most of the coverage stopped there, and I get it. “Rules take effect in sixteen months” doesn’t make anyone spill their coffee. But operators tend to call me after a rule costs more than they expected, so here’s why 2028 is not the date that matters. First, the basics. California has banned cannabis packaging that is “attractive to children” since legal sales began, and cartoons on labels are already prohibited. The problem was that the line remained subjective and was applied inconsistently. A 2025 state audit found that Department of Cannabis Control (DCC) rules were not specific enough and that reasonable reviewers sometimes reached different conclusions about similar packaging. AB 2249 draws a clearer line. It defines “attractive to children” as designed or likely to appeal to anyone under 21, then identifies cartoons; depictions of people under 21; celebrities, influencers, characters and mascots primarily associated with contemporary children’s media or products; fantasy characters such as unicorns, wizards and dragons; imagery of candy, cereal, sweets and desserts primarily marketed to children; child-oriented bubble or balloon lettering; and packaging that mimics a noncannabis product marketed to children. Cartoon or overly stylized fruit on an edible or vape label is out. A realistic depiction of fruit that accurately reflects an ingredient or production region is allowed. The bill also authorizes DCC to adopt additional rules for design elements or product characteristics that pose a heightened risk to children, and it requires the department to develop self-assessment resources. DCC launched its AI-based Cannabis Product Image Analyzer in June. Use it as a screening tool, not a safe harbor: an automated result is advisory, not a final DCC determination. AB 2249 sets no deadline for additional rulemaking or for the required resources, so operators are still designing against a target that could move. Now here’s the part that got underplayed. Packaging isn’t bought like office supplies. Many brands buy it in runs representing six months to a year of inventory because that is how they protect unit economics. Artwork gets locked with the printer weeks or months before the run. Then the boxes sit in a warehouse until they are used. So play it forward. A brand placing a normal-sized packaging order in early 2027 may be buying stock it expects to use well into 2028. AB 2249 contains no express sell-through safe harbor for old packaging. Unless DCC issues contrary guidance, the prudent plan is to assume that product offered for sale on January 1, 2028 must comply with the new definition. That may put the artwork deadline in late 2026. In other words, somebody has to decide now whether the mascot stays. The California Cannabis Industry Association opposed the bill on cost, and that concern is real. A redesign can mean compliance review, new plates, minimum order quantities, retailer notifications and eventually paying someone to destroy old packaging. But the final Senate vote was 38-0, and the Assembly concurred 69-1. The cost is now a scheduling problem, and scheduling problems are only cheap if you start early. Handled on the front end, this is a calendar and a manageable cost. Handled on the back end, it becomes destroyed inventory, retailer disruption, potential enforcement and a bill with more zeros. The difference is almost never information. Operators knew the rule was coming. The problem is that “2028” sounds far away. If you hold a California license, this quarter looks like this: pull every SKU and flag anything with a character, creature, candy cue, child-oriented lettering or stylized fruit. If you have to argue about whether the gummy bear is a cartoon, it probably is. Get your printer’s real lead times in writing and work backward from January 1, 2028. Start the redesign conservatively, have the final art reviewed, and run it through DCC’s tool as a screen before the plates are cut. Then size your last old-look order to sell through before 2028. Nobody should build a compliance plan around the hope that the state will be generous with a pallet of dragon gummies. The state gave you sixteen months. Your printer gave you about six. Plan around the printer. Adrian A. Holguin, J.D., M.B.A., is founder and president of CannaShark Consulting. He advises cannabis operators and businesses in other highly regulated industries on licensing, compliance, finance and operations, and also serves as an expert witness. Photo courtesy of Max Pixel. The post California Marijuana Businesses Should Act Now To Comply With New Packaging Rules That Don’t Take Effect Until 2028 (Op-Ed) appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

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States generated more than $3.5 billion in tax revenue from legal marijuana sales over the last year, according to a newly updated federal report. The analysis from the U.S. Census Bureau also shows that since the agency began tracking the issue in the third quarter of 2021, states have brought in a total of more than $15.8 billion in cannabis revenue. “While cannabis remains illegal federally, 30 states and the District of Columbia (D.C.) collect excise taxes on cannabis sales,” the agency said. “Their contributions to state tax receipts have reached new heights: an estimated $3.55 billion in combined tax revenue between July 2025 and June 2026.” “And the numbers keep growing,” it said. The Census Bureau on Thursday issued the latest periodic update to its Cannabis Excise Sales Tax Collections data to include totals from the second quarter of 2026, during which states and D.C. reported taking in a total of $987.5 million in marijuana tax revenue. Individual states reporting the highest dollar amounts from marijuana sales during Q2 of this year were California ($161 million), Washington State ($153.1 million), Michigan ($110.6 million), New York ($76.8 million), Illinois ($71.8 million) and Colorado ($55 million). The latest updated federally compiled figures also provide a look at which states have brought in the most cannabis revenue over time since the Census Bureau started tracking the issue five years ago. The more than $3.3 billion that California has generated from marijuana sales since late 2021 represents nearly than a fifth of all cannabis dollars brought into state coffers across the country during that period. Washington State comes in second place, with $2.3 billion, followed by Illinois ($1.4 billion), Colorado $1.4 billion), Michigan ($1.3 billion), Massachusetts ($879.1 million), Arizona ($831.2 million) and Oregon ($811.6 million). The federal data doesn’t include tax earnings from quarters prior to Q3 2021. While nationwide cannabis tax hauls have generally increased year over year, the bureau noted a dip in overall marijuana revenue in Fiscal Year 2023, which it said “can be largely attributed to California,” which eliminated a cultivation tax that year “to ease the tax burden, lower market prices and curb the black market.” “The nationwide decline in FY 2023 reflected California’s policy shift, but totals climbed again in subsequent years as more states began collecting cannabis taxes,” it said. Delaware and Minnesota, it said, “have rapidly growing recreational markets” that recently launched. The agency also looked at per capita cannabis tax revenues in each state, finding that Washington and Montana each collect more than $50 per resident in marijuana excise taxes each year—the highest in the nation, which is “driven by particularly high retail excise rates of 37% and 20%, respectively,” it said. Via U.S. Census Bureau. A separate recent report from Yale University researchers found that federally legalizing marijuana would generate $57.9 billion in new tax revenue over a decade—and that additional states also moving to legalize cannabis would nearly double that haul. Another report from the advocacy group the Marijuana Policy Project found that states have generated more than $28.4 billion in tax revenue from recreational marijuana sales since the first markets launched over a decade ago. While those figures reach back further than the Census Bureau’s do, they don’t account for additional revenue that states have collected from medical marijuana sales, or from cannabis business application and licensing fees. Notably, the Census tracker’s numbers lag behind the real-time market. The agency says figures shown are “based on a calendar quarter and generally represent taxes collected on sales made during the prior quarter (i.e. data released in September 2023 will cover sales during the quarter ended June 30, 2023).” While not every state with legal marijuana has consistently provided data for the national tracker, the project nevertheless represents the federal government’s growing effort to account for the size and scope of the cannabis industry—which despite the growing number of state legalization laws remains generally federally illegal, although the rescheduling reform being implemented by the Trump administration is partially changing that. In 2023, the Census Bureau separately updated its survey of private businesses to better capture marijuana-related economic activity. Together, the tracking and reporting efforts indicate an increasing willingness by the federal government to acknowledge the billions of dollars in annual economic activity generated by an industry that it continues to largely prohibit. The new state tax revenue data used to build the report “result from a complete canvass of all state government agencies,” the bureau said in a methodology note. While it refers to the revenue as “quarterly cannabis excise sales tax collections,” it also says that “taxes” are defined rather broadly. “For this dataset, the concept of ‘taxes’ is comprised of all compulsory contributions exacted by a government for public purposes,” it said. “Tax revenue is further defined to include related penalty and interest receipts of a government but to exclude protested amounts.” The bureau has two separate tax codes for marijuana revenue that it asks states to report, one for taxes on cannabis transactions and another for business license fees. The agency has said its own figures might not align perfectly with state-reported data “because the Census Bureau may be using a different definition of which organizations are covered by the term, ‘state government.’” The bureau’s definition, it explains, “refers not only to the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of a given state, but it also includes agencies, institutions, commissions, and public authorities.” Meanwhile, a separate recent economic analysis by Vangst and Whitney Economics found that, for the first time since state recreational marijuana markets launched in 2014, the industry saw a year-over-year decline in national revenue from cannabis sales in 2025. The post States Have Earned Over $15 Billion In Marijuana Tax Revenue In The Last 5 Years, ‘And The Numbers Keep Growing,’ New Federal Report Says appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

A Democratic congressman who represents Wisconsin says the state is poised to legalize marijuana as soon as next year—especially if his party wins control of the legislature in the November elections, but perhaps even if Republicans maintain a majority under new leadership for the 2027 session. Rep. Mark Pocan (D-WI) told Marijuana Moment that there’s a “really good chance” of legalizing cannabis in Wisconsin in the short term if Democrats can “flip the legislature,” where marijuana reform proposals have stalled under Republican control in recent sessions. The congressman was responding to a question about Wisconsin having among the highest amount of marijuana arrests in the U.S. last year, according to recently released FBI data. Pocan said, however, that he thinks cannabis legislation has a shot even if the GOP stays in control. That’s because current Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R), who the congressman said is “very anti-marijuana,” is retiring at the end of this year and is likely be replaced by someone who is more open to reform. While leadership elections have not yet been held, Majority Leader Tyler August (R) has been mentioned as a possible successor to Vos. “The incoming Republican—if they have the majority, although I think we can flip it—is far more libertarian, even more than a Republican,” Pocan said. “So I would think if he really maintains those values, that would change. But it really was kind of held back by one individual largely in Wisconsin.” August suggested last year that it is time to modernize Wisconsin’s approach to cannabis. “I don’t think anyone is naive enough to think that marijuana and THC products aren’t present in the state of Wisconsin when they are readily available over state lines, so I think we need to come to an answer on this,” he said at the time. “I’m hopeful that we can.” Pocan, for his part, told Marijuana Moment that there is a cannabis dispensary just over the border from his district in neighboring Illinois and that “all the cars are Wisconsin cars in that lot.” “Most of the folks I’ve talked to in the Wisconsin legislature want to change it because we’re surrounded by states that have it legal,” he said. “We can continue to pretend it’s the 1950s, or we can accept where society’s at. Just arresting people for that seems like a terrible waste of resources that law enforcement could do useful this with.” The congressman said the “reality” is that cannabis reform is coming one way or another. “This is a very old view that people are clinging on to, but I don’t think there’s that many people that are clinging on to it,” he said of prohibitionist attitudes. Pocan, who noted that he sponsored medical marijuana bills in the Wisconsin legislature decades ago, said that federal reform stands to benefit if Democrats can win back a congressional majority in the November elections. In particular, he said Congress could “take away some of these stupid riders” that have blocked local officials from legalizing recreational marijuana sales in Washington, D.C. In Wisconsin, meanwhile, Gov. Tony Evers (D) and Democratic lawmakers have pushed to legalize marijuana for recreational and medical purposes for years, but those proposals have been blocked by the legislature’s Republican majority. A limited medical cannabis bill did clear one committee this session, but did not advance further. Evers is not running again this year. Democratic gubernatorial nominee David Crowley and other candidates competing in his party’s primary at the time appeared at a forum hosted by a cannabis reform group earlier this year. Crowley, who is currently the Milwaukee County Executive, said reform supporters “cannot wait until after the governor’s election” to push the issue, arguing that they need to “organize in making this one of the top priorities in this upcoming election.” “If you can’t change minds, you have to change faces,” he said. “I want you all to know that we’re going to work directly with you and make sure that you have a seat at the table, because if you don’t have a seat at the table, that means you’re on it.” His Republican opponent, Tom Tiffany, currently a member of Congress, has voted against bills to federally legalize marijuana and increase the cannabis industry’s access to banking services—though he has also voiced support for letting states set their own policies on the issue and has discussed how Schedule I status impedes research. Evers, for his part, recently sent a letter calling on the state’s congressional delegation to “prevent mass disruption of the hemp industry” by stopping the planned federal recriminalization of hemp THC products that’s set to take effect later this year. The governor has repeatedly pushed for broader reform—including marijuana legalization in multiple budget requests, for example—but efforts to enact it have consistently stalled out in the Republican-controlled Assembly and Senate even as adult-use markets have come online in neighboring states such as Illinois and Michigan. Evers said last year that if his party can take control of the legislature, the state can “finally” legalize marijuana so that residents don’t have to go to neighboring Illinois to visit its adult-use market. — Marijuana Moment is tracking hundreds of cannabis, psychedelics and drug policy bills in state legislatures and Congress this year. Patreon supporters pledging at least $25/month get access to our interactive maps, charts and hearing calendar so they don’t miss any developments. Learn more about our marijuana bill tracker and become a supporter on Patreon to get access. — Democratic lawmakers filed legislation in the 2026 session to broadly legalize and regulate marijuana, and bipartisan legislation to simply decriminalize cannabis possession was also filed—but neither proposal advanced. A poll released last year by Marquette Law School found that two in three Wisconsin voters support legalizing marijuana. A legislative analysis requested by lawmakers estimated that Wisconsin residents spent more than $121 million on cannabis in Illinois alone in 2022, contributing $36 million in tax revenue to the neighboring state. Meanwhile, the state Department of Revenue released a fiscal estimate of the economic impact of a legalization bill in 2023, projecting that the reform would generate nearly $170 million annually in tax revenue. The LCB contributed reporting from Washington, D.C. The post Wisconsin Is Ready To Legalize Marijuana Next Year Under Democratic Or GOP Control, Congressman Says appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

The cannabis component CBD “supports post-exercise recovery” for athletes “but does not directly enhance performance,” according to a new scientific review. Cannabidiol “demonstrates efficacy in modulating delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS) and lowering concentrations of muscle damage markers (creatine kinase and myoglobin), particularly within the 48-72 hour window following intensive exercise,” the paper, published in the International Medical Journal, found. Polish researchers with the 4th Military Clinical Hospital and the University Clinical Hospital performed a search of the PubMed and Scopus databases for previous studies published between 2021 and 2026. They said that although it was a “key turning point” when the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) moved in 2017 to officially allow athletes to begin using CBD without fear of being suspended from competition, many products on the market today are mislabeled and may contain THC—creating “a real risk of inadvertent anti-doping rule violations for athletes.” CBD itself, meanwhile, is “a safe substance with a low risk of inducing side effects that could impair athlete comfort,” the review said. While CBD doesn’t have a “statistically significant impact on improving performance in endurance tests, such as time trials, maximal power output, or running economy,” the authors wrote, it has been shown to improve pain sensations related to muscle soreness. One study involving sublingual administration of 67 mg of CBD each day for 15 days “resulted in participants reporting significantly lower peak pain at rest and during movement 48 hours after induced muscle injury compared to placebo,” the review said. “The CBD group also demonstrated less impairment in muscle strength after 48 hours.” CBD can also indirectly help athletes recover by “improving sleep architecture,” the paper said. “It is postulated that CBD may reduce sleep latency (time to fall asleep) and decrease the number of nocturnal awakenings, which translates into better psychophysical readiness the following day.” “CBD may optimize athlete readiness by potentially improving sleep architecture and modifying exercise affect, which forms the foundation for so-called indirect recovery.” Interestingly, the review found that CBD’s beneficial effect on athletes seems to be “highly dependent on the delivery format,” with oral preparations providing increased bioavailability and significant aid while topical applications don’r appear to be supported for reducing muscle soreness, according to the current evidence base. “A significant finding of this analysis is the total lack of evidence supporting the efficacy of CBD creams and ointments in alleviating DOMS,” the authors wrote. “Despite theoretical premises regarding the presence of CB2 receptors and TRPV1 channels in the skin and subcutaneous tissue, topical application (even at doses as high as 1000 mg) did not influence pain thresholds or strength parameters. This suggests that the skin barrier represents a substantial obstacle for CBD, and the concentration reaching deep muscle fibers is insufficient to modulate the inflammatory cascade induced by eccentric training.” More broadly, the researchers said CBD has potential to protect people against cognitive impairment and that studies highlight its “neuroprotective role in normalizing the heart-brain axis following mild traumatic brain injuries common in contact sports.” “From the perspective of sports psychophysiology, the key areas of CBD action are neuroprotection, mood regulation, and the optimization of sleep architecture.” The review concluded by noting that many studies to date used small samples sizes. There is also an ongoing risk of THC contamination in CBD products and a lack of standardized dosing protocols that “hinder the development of precise guidelines for athletes.” A separate recently published review found that CBD “appears to have anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective, analgesic, anxiolytic, and potentially performance-enhancing properties in athletes.” “CBD appears to have beneficial properties for sports recovery,” it concluded. The post CBD Helps Athletes Recover From Exercise But Does Not Boost Performance, Study Shows appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

Feds issue warning about traveling with marijuana; Mike Tyson thanks Trump for cannabis clemency; MA sales hit $10 billion; Cannabis safety op-ed Subscribe to receive Marijuana Moment’s newsletter in your inbox every weekday morning. It’s the best way to make sure you know which cannabis stories are shaping the day. Get our daily newsletter. Email address: Leave this field empty if you're human: Your support makes Marijuana Moment possible… *Rattling the tip jar* Got a few dollars you can spare to help Marijuana Moment pay our writers, keep our website running and grow into the kind of robust news organization the fast-paced world of drug policy deserves? Join us for $25/month and be a part of our work: https://www.patreon.com/marijuanamoment / TOP THINGS TO KNOW The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit rejected a request to block the Trump administration’s marijuana rescheduling move that was filed by a drug testing industry association and a pharmaceutical company. The court also rejected a request from two medical marijuana companies that had filed a motion to intervene in the rescheduling lawsuit by joining the side of the government and opposing the litigation from prohibitionists. The State Department’s Bureau of Consular Affairs is warning Americans against traveling overseas with marijuana or CBD—saying that “just because a cannabis, THC, or CBD product is legal in your home state does not mean you can take it abroad.” The Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission reported that recreational sales have now crossed the $10 billion mark—with the state’s top regulator telling Marijuana Moment that rolling back legalization, as is proposed by an initiative on the November ballot, could “eliminate thousands of jobs, hundreds of businesses and billions in tax revenue.” Mike Tyson is thanking President Donald Trump for granting clemency to two federal cannabis prisoners last week, telling Marijuana Moment that “no one should lose decades of their life for nonviolent cannabis offenses” and that he hopes more will soon be freed. “I hope this is only the beginning for those still waiting to rebuild their lives.” Americans for Safe Access’s Steph Sherer argues in a new Marijuana Moment op-ed that acknowledging safety issues surrounding cannabis “is not a concession to prohibition” but that “solving them is how we protect the future of cannabis access.” “Cannabis safety should not be a political weapon, and it should not be an uncomfortable subject cannabis communities avoid. It should be an area of research, innovation, collaboration, investment and competition.” Michigan Republican gubernatorial candidate John James is raising money from the marijuana industry as he pledges to repeal a new cannabis wholesale tax—while Democratic contender Jocelyn Benson called it a “new and emerging issue” without taking a clear stance. A Georgia senator who sponsored a bill to expand medical cannabis access explained why he agreed to a House amendment to allow patients to vape marijuana flower. “You’ve got different additives that are put in that oil to have it hit a certain percent, and the flower is grown and there’s nothing added to it.” / FEDERAL The new director of the Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research previously worked at psychedelics company Usona Institute. Rep. Maggie Goodlander (D-NH) and primary challenger Paige Beauchemin, currently a state representative, spoke about their support for federal marijuana legalization during a debate. / STATES Iowa Democratic gubernatorial candidate Rob Sand discussed his support for legalizing cannabis. Vermont’s lieutenant governor is facing a $5,000 fine for allegedly growing at least 100 cannabis plants in a location where he did not have permission to do so. A Massachusetts campaign working to pass a ballot initiative to roll back the state’s marijuana legalization law has raised more than $1.6 million this year, while the main opposition campaign has raised more than $1.5 million in the same period. Pennsylvania’s auditor general published a report finding that the state’s medical cannabis program lacks proper internal controls to ensure inspections and enforcement actions were performed consistently and that it has inadequate approval processes for complaint conclusions and plans of corrections. Virginia regulators posted draft marijuana rules. Ohio regulators published standardized marijuana product label templates. Oklahoma’s top medical cannabis regulator is pushing back against claims that the state’s business approval process is too slow and enforcement is too strict. California regulators sent updates about various cannabis issues. — Marijuana Moment is tracking hundreds of cannabis, psychedelics and drug policy bills in state legislatures and Congress this year. Patreon supporters pledging at least $25/month get access to our interactive maps, charts and hearing calendar so they don’t miss any developments. Learn more about our marijuana bill tracker and become a supporter on Patreon to get access. — / INTERNATIONAL Cayman Islands officials are reviewing public comments on potential changes to cannabis laws. / SCIENCE & HEALTH A study found that “co-administered CBD increases the plasma availability of THC and its active metabolite 11-OH-THC.” A study of rats found “relevant evidence supporting the therapeutic potential of CBG for cognitive impairments associated with schizophrenia.” / ADVOCACY, OPINION & ANALYSIS Whitney Economics published a report on the hemp market. / BUSINESS Shares in Curaleaf were reportedly purchased by the United Arab Emirates national security advisor. Walmart is being sued for allegedly illegally firing an employee over a positive marijuana test. Delaware retailers sold $5.6 million worth of legal marijuana products in July. 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 Mike Latimer. The post Court allows cannabis rescheduling to proceed (Newsletter: September 10, 2026) appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

It's great to see continued pressure on Biden for these pardons! The impact of non-violent cannabis convictions is far-reaching and disproportionately affects communities. Hopefully, they get the update they're looking for soon. Speaking of things that bring people joy, anyone else ever get lost in the endless topping combinations of papa's freezeria? It's a surprisingly deep game!

This women-focused cannabis and psychedelics conference sounds like an amazing opportunity to connect with industry leaders! I've always appreciated platforms that bring together diverse voices and expertise in emerging sectors. Events like this are invaluable for networking and staying updated on compliance trends and market developments. If you're interested in exploring industry insights and connecting with professionals in cannabis or wellness spaces, checking out community platforms like Fnaf can help you discover similar events and build meaningful connections in these growing fields. Definitely worth keeping an eye on!

A federal appeals court has rejected a request from a drug testing industry association and a pharmaceutical company to block the Trump administration from moving forward with federal cannabis rescheduling while ongoing litigation challenging the reform is considered. “Petitioners have not satisfied the stringent requirements for a stay pending court review,” the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia ruled on Wednesday. The National Drug and Alcohol Screening Association (NDASA) and MMJ International Holdings and its subsidiaries had argued in briefs supporting their motion for the court to put a stay on the rescheduling reform that “marijuana abuse has dangerous, lifelong consequences—especially for adolescents and pregnant women” and that “by cutting taxes on cannabis companies,” federal rescheduling “will stimulate the industry and increase marijuana abuse.” The Department of Justice had opposed the request to pause rescheduling, noting in a brief that the entities challenging cannabis rescheduling have “pocketbook interests served by keeping all marijuana in schedule I” and are not suitable challengers to the reform because they are not the “intended beneficiaries” of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA). Meanwhile, the court on Wednesday also rejected a request from two medical marijuana companies that had filed a motion to intervene in the rescheduling lawsuit by joining the side of the government and opposing the litigation from prohibitionists. “Medical Marijuana Companies fail to demonstrate that their interests in this litigation are not adequately represented by existing parties,” the court’s order said, though it is allowing the companies to file amicus briefs in the case. Lawyers for NDASA and the prohibitionist organization Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) had filed a brief arguing that the cannabis businesses should not be allowed to join the suit. Aside from the question of immediately blocking cannabis rescheduling from advancing via the stay, the appeals court is weighing three separate lawsuits against the overall proposal to move marijuana from Schedule I of the CSA to Schedule III that have since been consolidated. One suit is led by SAM and NDASA, who claim they are “aggrieved” by the reform. Another comes from a coalition of anti-marijuana activists, substance misuse professionals, doctors and MMJ, a cannabis-focused biopharmaceutical corporation. A third challenge was filed by the attorneys general of Indiana, Nebraska and Louisiana—though the latter state later withdrew from the suit. The court on Wednesday directed parties in the case to submit, within 30 days, proposed formats for briefings. “The parties are strongly urged to submit a joint proposal and are reminded that the court looks with extreme disfavor on repetitious submissions and will, where appropriate, require a joint brief of aligned parties with total words not to exceed the standard allotment for a single brief,” it said. “Whether the parties are aligned or have disparate interests, they must provide detailed justifications for any request to file separate briefs or to exceed in the aggregate the standard word allotment,” the court’s order said. “Requests to exceed the standard word allotment must specify the word allotment necessary for each issue.” Kevin Sabet, president and CEO of SAM, said that “while we disagree with the court’s decision on emergency relief, today’s ruling does not decide the merits of this case or resolve the serious legal and scientific questions surrounding this unprecedented reclassification.” “This policy sidesteps the rigorous scientific and medical standards normally required before a drug is treated as medicine,” he said. “We are confident those flaws will be fully considered as the case moves forward, and that ultimately the law and the science will prevail.” The court’s new decision on the stay comes as the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and other parties participating in a hearing on broad marijuana rescheduling have filed their final briefs on the issue. The federal agency, which is charged with defending the proposed rescheduling move, said in its brief that “marijuana no longer fits the statutory requirements for Schedule I because it has a currently accepted medical use within the United States and it has an accepted safety for its use under medical supervision.” The agency noted that under the law it must give “significant deference” to an “extensive ten-month study on the scientific and medical properties” of cannabis conducted by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which recommended rescheduling. “Currently there are over 30,000 practitioners treating more than six million patients in 43 U.S. jurisdictions,” DEA said. “Such practices demonstrate that there is no longer a lack of accepted safety for use of marijuana under medical supervision, and as such, marijuana does not fulfill the requirements of being a Schedule I substance.” It also said that there is “substantial evidence sufficient to show that marijuana’s abuse and dependency profiles better align with Schedule III substances than Schedule II” or Schedule I. “The vast majority of individuals who use marijuana do so in a manner that does not result in dangers to themselves or to their communities.” In conclusion, DEA asked the judge overseeing the hearing to “expeditiously recommend” that marijuana be transferred from Schedule I to Schedule III. Opponents of cannabis reform—including the SAM; the states of Idaho, Indiana and Nebraska; NDASA and others—also filed briefs. The anti-rescheduling entities argued that a new two-part test federal officials used to analyze cannabis improperly departs from a former five-part test, that marijuana does not have accepted medical value and that the reform would undermine drug testing of safety-sensitive workers, among other things. In 2024, the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) said the prior five-part test was “impermissibly narrow” and said the two-part review “is sufficient to establish that a drug has CAMU even if the drug has not been approved by FDA and would not satisfy DEA’s five-part test.” DEA has since embraced the new approach to evaluating cannabis for CAMU and it has been used to subsequently evaluate other substances. The DEA judge will now consider the final briefs and testimony delivered during the hearing and issue a recommendation on cannabis’s scheduling status. The final decision will ultimately be up to the DEA administrator, however. Attorney General Todd Blanche in April issued an order that immediately reclassified state-licensed medical cannabis, as well as marijuana products approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) from Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) to Schedule III. Under a separate order the attorney general signed, the hearing is considering more comprehensively moving marijuana to Schedule III. The suit from SAM and NDASA challenging rescheduling was signed by attorneys at Torridon Law PLCC, where former U.S. Attorney General William Barr, led DOJ during Trump’s first term in office, is a partner. SAM had announced in January that it was hiring Barr’s firm to legally combat cannabis rescheduling after Tump signed an executive order directing officials to complete the process expeditiously. Meanwhile, the House Appropriations Committee voted to block federal officials from taking further steps to carry out cannabis rescheduling. Bipartisan lawmakers told Marijuana Moment, however, that they don’t expect the legislative effort to block rescheduling to succeed. Separately, SAM, MMJ and other plaintiffs filed a lawsuit seeking to block a Trump administration program to cover certain hemp-derived products through Medicare. That case was dismissed by a federal judge in May, but that decision is being appealed. Read the court’s ruling in the marijuana rescheduling lawsuit below: Photo elements courtesy of rawpixel and Philip Steffan. The post Federal Court Lets Trump Move Ahead With Marijuana Rescheduling, Rejecting Pharma Company And Drug Testing Industry Request To Block It appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

Retired boxer Mike Tyson is thanking President Donald Trump for his decision to free two people who were serving time for federal marijuana convictions last week—but he is making clear that even more acts of cannabis clemency should follow. “No one should lose decades of their life for nonviolent cannabis offenses,” Tyson told Marijuana Moment in reaction to the president’s action. Trump on Thursday commuted the sentences of Jerry Haymon IV and Kevin Harden, effectively ending their sentences and putting them on the path to being free. “I want to thank President Trump for giving Jerry Haymon and Kevin Harden a second chance,” Tyson told Marijuana Moment. “I hope this is only the beginning for those still waiting to rebuild their lives,” he said. The clemency applications from Haymon and Harden were both accompanied by a letter Tyson wrote to Trump in which he praised the president for his administration’s moves to federally reschedule marijuana, which the boxer had publicly pushed for in advance. “There are Americans still sitting in federal prison for the very conduct your order addresses, waiting to see if your historic words will extend to them,” he wrote. “With two-thirds of Americans in support of marijuana legalization, not more punishment, the politics align with common sense policy. Yet individuals remain behind bars under outdated federal laws for conduct that today would not result in prison in much of the country.” “Granting clemency to non-violent marijuana offenders would reunite families, restore lost opportunity, and write the final chapter of the federal war on marijuana—a chapter that only you have the power to close,” Tyson said in the letter. “It would be a legacy moment: bold, decisive, and right. I respectfully urge you to act.” Haymon was given a 10-year mandatory minimum sentence in federal prison for his participation in a marijuana distribution conspiracy, and had been living in home confinement for the past year. “Today is an amazing day that I will never forget,” Haymon told Marijuana Moment on Friday after receiving the news of his commutation, saying it feels like he has been “reborn again.” Thirty-six members of Congress sent a letter to then-President Joe Biden in support of Haymon’s request for clemency. While Biden issued mass pardons to people who committed federal marijuana possession offenses, he did not heed calls to free people serving time in federal prison for involvement in selling cannabis. Haymon’s case was championed by Weldon Angelos, founder of the criminal justice non-profit The Weldon Project who received a cannabis-related presidential pardon during Trump’s first term. “I also recognize Weldon Angelos and The Weldon Project for their tireless work bringing people home,” Tyson told Marijuana Moment. Harden, the other person that Trump granted clemency to on Thursday, had been serving a 30-year sentence after being convicted of conspiracy to distribute marijuana. His co-defendant in the cannabis case, James Romans, was granted clemency by Trump in 2021 on the final day of his first term in office. The two cannabis commutations are part of a broader package of clemency grants the the president issued last week. Trump’s move to free a handful of cannabis prisoners comes as his administration of moving forward with the process of federally rescheduling marijuana. Attorney General Todd Blanche in April issued an order that immediately reclassified state-licensed medical cannabis, as well as marijuana products approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) from Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) to Schedule III. Under a separate order he signed, the DEA hearing was held to consider more comprehensively moving marijuana to Schedule III. An agency judge is currently considering a recommendation on the issue, and then the DEA administrator will issue a final determination. During the hearing, DEA officials charged with defending the cannabis rescheduling proposal highlighted testimony on marijuana’s medical benefits and its relative safety compared to other substances such as alcohol and opioids. Earlier this year, Trump pardoned a former NFL star who was convicted of trafficking 175 pounds of marijuana. At the start of his second term, the president fulfilled a campaign promise by commuting the life sentence of Ross Ulbricht, a man who was convicted of running a dark web illicit drug market. Tyson, for his part, spent time talking with Pennsylvania lawmakers last year about why that state should legalize marijuana. Image element courtesy of Super Festivals. The post Mike Tyson Thanks Trump For Releasing Federal Marijuana Prisoners, Saying He Hopes More Will Soon Be Freed appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

His Democratic opponent called the cannabis tax a “new and emerging issue” and hasn’t taken a clear stance on it. By Simon D. Schuster, Bridge Michigan This story was originally published by Bridge Michigan, a nonprofit and nonpartisan news organization. To get regular coverage from Bridge Michigan, sign up for a free Bridge Michigan newsletter here. Republican John James is proposing to “repeal or sharply reduce” Michigan’s new 24 percent wholesale tax on marijuana and courting industry donors as he competes to be Michigan’s next governor. The new tax was a key component of the bipartisan road funding deal Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) signed last year, but James argues it “drives up prices, gives illegal operators a competitive edge and has already fallen far short of revenue projections.” James publicly vowed to repeal or reduce the wholesale tax in mid-August, weeks after he had discussed doing the same at a campaign fundraiser organized by marijuana industry leaders. The gathering, hosted by executives of the JARS Cannabis dispensary chain, netted his campaign nearly $90,000, according to state disclosures. That’s a small fraction of the nearly $1.2 million James raised from donors since late July, but it underscored the willingness of industry executives to back opponents of a tax they see as an existential threat. “He was clear as a bell: He wants to get rid of that 24 percent tax,” said Tim Beck, a longtime marijuana advocate who attended the fundraiser and told Bridge Michigan that about 100 people attended. Marijuana officials have said they were blindsided by the wholesale tax, which is separate from the state’s 10 percent retail excise tax and was part of a road funding deal negotiated behind closed doors by Whitmer, Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks and Republican House Speaker Matt Hall. An industry group is suing to try to block it, arguing it violates the will of voters who legalized marijuana in 2018. As part of his proposal to repeal the wholesale tax, James noted state revenue collections have so far fallen short of projections. The House Fiscal Agency had projected the tax would generate $420 million annually to help fix Michigan roads as part of a promised $2 billion annual infusion, but state budget officials recently reported it had generated just $73.4 million in the first six months since implementation, below even revised estimates. James has not said how or if he’d try to make up road funding revenue if the tax is fully eliminated. His campaign did not respond to requests for comment, nor did a spokesperson for Hall, the GOP House Speaker. Benson takes wait-and-see approach Jocelyn Benson, the Democratic gubernatorial nominee, has not taken a firm stance on the 24 percent wholesale marijuana tax, which her running mate, Brinks, supported in the Legislature. It’s a “new and emerging issue,” Benson said Tuesday when Bridge asked her about the tax at a campaign stop. “There’s a lot of data yet to be determined on that particular tax… We need to know where the money is going and also the impact that it’s had on the industry,” she said. “At the same time, I want to make sure that any changes we are making to our tax code do not come at the expense of driving up costs for Michiganders.” Michigan’s marijuana industry was already struggling with growing pains before the new tax, and Robin Schneider, head of a top trade group, said many business owners have told her they simply aren’t paying it. “They’re operating on a wish and a prayer right now,” said Schneider, the executive director of the Michigan Cannabis Industry Association. She attended the fundraiser and her association donated $1,000 to James. Schneider told Bridge the James campaign approached her about the issue ahead of the fundraiser. “We didn’t do anything,” she told Bridge. “They made it clear that they support us.” Beck, who is a member of the industry association but has no business of his own, said he feels marijuana business owners are “pretty united” around James. Schneider said her association “repeatedly” reached out to Benson but has not heard back. The group previously supported Benson’s Democratic primary rival, Chris Swanson, who similarly pledged to repeal the tax. An industry in turmoil Michigan’s marijuana industry experienced meteoric growth after recreational sales began in 2020, but competition has been cutthroat, with rapid expansion and aggressive consolidation making it difficult for small businesses to survive, leaving all but the largest producers and dispensary chains standing. With the market seemingly saturated, industry margins remain razor-tight. In 2018, when 56 percent of Michigan voters voted to legalize marijuana for recreational purposes, James—then in his first of two campaigns for U.S. Senate—said he would vote against the proposal but would respect the will of voters if they approved it. Eight years later, James now says “state government has a responsibility to respect” the voter-approved law “while promoting workplace and community safety, keeping intoxicating products out of the hands of children, protecting consumers and enforcing the law against those who refuse to follow it.” Diversion to the black market is something that nearly every state that has legalized marijuana has struggled with. In Oregon, where marijuana is legal and regulated, some experts have estimated only about two-thirds of sales are through the legal market, and it’s unclear whether expensive state efforts to tamp down on illicit sales are making a dent. The industry has also sought other routes to reduce the financial pressure Michigan’s fiercely competitive market has brought on weed businesses. Schneider’s industry association has backed a proposal introduced by state Senate Democrats that would effectively cap production and distribution statewide, cutting off new entry into the market, much like the state-sanctioned oligopoly currently in place for alcohol wholesalers. That legislation, however, has remained stalled in committee. This article first appeared on Bridge Michigan and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. The post Michigan GOP Governor Candidate Raises Money From Marijuana Industry While Pledging To Cut New Wholesale Tax appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

“The law is very clear. You can vaporize flower and then of course vaporize the vape oil. So, the only thing that’s allowed in inhalables is vaporizing.” By Alander Rocha, Georgia Recorder Medical cannabis dispensaries are now selling the flower form of the drug in Georgia, but a new state law that took effect this summer has created some confusion over how it can be legally consumed. Lawmakers passed a measure earlier this year that overhauled the state’s medical cannabis program by dropping the confusing “low THC oil” branding, allowing dry-herb and oil vaporization, adding qualifying medical conditions and removing previous potency barriers. The changes quickly triggered significant growth in the number of patients enrolled in the program, with nearly 50,000 patients as of September 2, according to the Department of Public Health. But limits remain on how the raw cannabis flower can be used. Smoking it remains illegal under the new state law known as the Putting Patients First Act, which allows registered patients 21 and older to consume flower and oil at home strictly through vaporization. “The law is very clear. You can vaporize flower and then of course vaporize the vape oil. So, the only thing that’s allowed in inhalables is vaporizing. That’s it,” said Newnan Republican state Sen. Matt Brass, the bill’s sponsor, in a phone interview. Because flower is now being sold in Georgia’s dispensaries and independent pharmacies, retailers are finding themselves at the forefront of educating patients who incorrectly assume the availability of flower means the state legalized traditional smoking. Priya Raje, the owner of Lotus Farmacy in Suwanee, an independent pharmacy specializing in medical cannabis, said she is frequently asked about the difference between smoking and vaping and said that a part of her role is to educate patients on what’s legal in Georgia. She said that most people are familiar with smoking flower because it’s the way cannabis has been historically consumed, so she spends that extra time educating patients about what is allowed under the law. “I just tell them what the legality is and what the risks are if they choose to do anything else,” Raje said. Yolanda Bennett, who is a patient and co-head of the Georgia Medical Cannabis Society, which is an organization that advocates for medical cannabis access and educates patients, said smoking and vaporizing flower form of cannabis are entirely different methods. She said that smoking flower burns all the particles and plant matter and creates smoke from the combustion, whereas vaporization using a device only heats up the plant matter to a certain temperature without burning it, only creating an inhalable vapor. “When you take a flame and ignite the flower, that’s illegal,” Bennett said. The bill did not originally allow Georgians to vaporize the flower, but Brass said he didn’t push back after the House amended the bill to include it because he figured that vaping flower could be a healthier alternative to oil vapes. “You’ve got different additives that are put in that oil to have it hit a certain percent, and the flower is grown and there’s nothing added to it, and so that was why I agreed to it. I don’t know if that’s why [the House] added it, but to me, that makes sense,” Brass said. This story was first published by Georgia Recorder. The post Georgia Medical Cannabis Patients Can Now Vape—But Not Smoke—Marijuana appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

“Acknowledging these problems is not a concession to prohibition. Solving them is how we protect the future of cannabis access.” By Steph Sherer, Americans for Safe Access For much of the modern cannabis movement, raising concerns about safety has been politically complicated. Advocates have spent decades fighting exaggerated claims about cannabis harms, and opponents have been eager to turn every adverse event, regulatory failure or unanswered scientific question into an argument for prohibition. That history created an understandable reflex: When someone raises a cannabis safety concern, defend cannabis. It also helps explain why cannabis policy debates often center on two opposing narratives. One side presents cannabis as uniquely dangerous and promotes prohibition or restriction as the answer. The other minimizes legitimate concerns out of fear of giving opponents ammunition. Historically, medical cannabis policy has advanced by addressing public concerns. We have developed product-safety standards, improved patient and professional education, challenged government misinformation with evidence—including forcing the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to remove the “gateway drug” theory and other unsupported assertions from its materials—and fought to remove research barriers. Entrepreneurs have also built cannabis-specific infrastructure where traditional systems did not exist, from specialized laboratories and manufacturing equipment to services designed for the unique needs of the cannabis marketplace. The takeaway is that facts, standards, research and practical solutions have advanced medical cannabis despite fearmongering. That lesson matters now more than ever. The future of cannabis access depends on our ability to distinguish between rhetoric designed to undermine access and legitimate questions that deserve real solutions. Confusing labels, contaminants in products, inconsistent dosing, accidental ingestion, impaired driving, youth access, inadequate professional education, gaps in testing, misinformation and barriers that push patients outside regulated systems are all real issues. Acknowledging these problems is not a concession to prohibition. Solving them is how we protect the future of cannabis access. We need to be able to say: Here is a problem. Here is what the evidence tells us. Here is what we do not yet know. And here is what we are doing about it. Medical cannabis raises the stakes The future of medical cannabis will depend on more than whether state or federal law permits a patient to obtain it. Integration into healthcare requires an infrastructure of trust. Healthcare professionals need education. Patients need understandable information. Researchers need support to answer unresolved questions. Products need greater consistency and transparency. Regulators need standards that work in practice. Patients need ways to report problems and navigate discrimination. Businesses need incentives to exceed minimum requirements through a marketplace that rewards innovation. The people and organizations building those systems today are helping define what medical cannabis will look like tomorrow. Safety is a competitive advantage The next stage of cannabis market development will not be built primarily around potency, novelty, branding and price. Companies that invest in transparency, usability, testing, quality, safety and consumer education are helping build the standards and infrastructure that a mature cannabis marketplace and the integration of cannabis into healthcare will require. Addressing safety concerns should not be viewed simply as a compliance obligation. It can strengthen patient and consumer trust, distinguish responsible businesses, reduce preventable problems and show that the legal marketplace can respond to public concerns. Legitimacy requires accountability, professional standards, continuous improvement and a willingness to solve problems before regulators, journalists, consumers or class-action lawsuits force us to. Opponents of cannabis reform are increasingly using legitimate cannabis safety concerns to argue for broader restrictions. Cannabis safety should not be a political weapon, and it should not be an uncomfortable subject cannabis communities avoid. It should be an area of innovation, collaboration, investment and competition. The Backlash is Being Organized Communities across America have legitimate questions about cannabis safety and public health. In 2024, the National Academies published Cannabis Policy Impacts Public Health and Health Equity, which documented mounting concerns and called for cannabis policies that protect the public from potential harms, including accidental ingestion, impaired-driving crashes, secondhand smoke and environmental impacts, while also protecting people who use cannabis from harm and ensuring access to dependency treatment when needed. Public safety concerns are real and are no longer a fringe messaging problem. They are the foundation of an organized political backlash against cannabis access that is gaining steam. Opposition campaigns are using public anxiety to portray current cannabis policies as failures and build support for a return to prohibition or more restrictive approaches. Their arguments increasingly focus on impaired driving and roadway safety, contaminated products in legal markets, emergency visits and accidental exposures, workplace safety and other legitimate concerns that deserve thoughtful responses. Opponents are raising money around rescheduling and public fears, fueling support for aggressive enforcement proposals. Leadership in Congress is responding. They are organizing opposition to rescheduling and holding hearings linking cannabis safety concerns to criminal-enforcement and national-security narratives. At the state level, national organizations are backing ballot and referendum campaigns to overturn and restrict cannabis laws. They have money, infrastructure, trusted messengers and a clear policy agenda. Raising up problem-solvers Many people are stepping up to address legitimate concerns about cannabis safety, but their work does not always make its way into the public debate. Every day, researchers are expanding the evidence base, patient advocates are identifying failures in healthcare and public policy, elected officials are pursuing workable reforms and organizations are creating better public education and professional training. Companies and innovators are also tackling practical problems through safer storage, better dosing and measurement, improved product preservation, clearer testing and labeling information, whole-flower vaporization technology, sustainability efforts and tools for responding safely to uncomfortable THC overconsumption. What we choose to celebrate and highlight signals what we value as a community. Focusing primarily on revenue, expansion, potency and stock prices while overlooking innovations that address patient, consumer, professional and community concerns is a missed opportunity to shape what comes next. Recognition can help good ideas travel. It can bring attention to solutions that deserve investment, encourage companies to compete on safety as well as performance and show policymakers and the public that the cannabis community can confront difficult issues. Help identify the work worth scaling Our challenge is to identify solutions that are working and make them visible. That is why Americans for Safe Access created the first Cannabis Safety Awards. Across 18 categories, the awards are intended to shine a light on people, programs, products and innovations that identified a cannabis safety problem and decided to be part of the solution. Our goal is not simply to hand out awards. It is to demonstrate to the media, policymakers and the public that concerns about integrating cannabis into healthcare and society are being heard and that the cannabis community is already helping address them. Steph Sherer is the founder and executive director of Americans for Safe Access, which is organizing the 2026 Cannabis Safety Awards for which nominations are open through September 10. The post Addressing Cannabis Safety Issues Is A Strength, Not A Weakness, For The Legalization Movement (Op-Ed) appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

The U.S. State Department is warning U.S. citizens against traveling internationally while carrying marijuana or CBD products. “U.S. citizens are subject to local laws,” the department’s Bureau of Consular Affairs said in a social media post on Tuesday. “Just because a cannabis, THC, or CBD product is legal in your home state does not mean you can take it abroad. This includes prescribed medical marijuana.” The agency wants to make sure that Americans know that many countries impose “severe criminal penalties” for cannabis, pointing them to a federal website where they can review local laws and prohibited items where they are traveling. Even if cannabis is legal or decriminalized in a destination country, however, “bringing it or any cannabis-derived products across an international border can result in arrest or other criminal penalties,” the bureau said. “Do not travel internationally with cannabis or cannabis-derived products, including marijuana, THC, CBD, edibles, vape cartridges, oils, concentrates, or other cannabis products.” It is also reminding people to “always pack from a completely empty bag” in order to avoid accidentally bringing forgotten marijuana stuffed inside of a suitcase pocket. “Americans have been arrested after unintentionally bringing cannabis products into another country, including edibles, vape cartridges, oils, and concentrates,” the post said. “Check all suitcase compartments and pockets carefully before traveling.” Do not travel internationally with cannabis or cannabis-derived products, including marijuana, THC, CBD, edibles, vape cartridges, oils, concentrates, or other cannabis products. U.S. citizens are subject to local laws. Just because a cannabis, THC, or CBD product is legal in… pic.twitter.com/G3b1KxSXNW — TravelGov (@TravelGov) September 8, 2026 A number of high-profile cases have involved Americans being detained for possessing marijuana in other countries. Basketball player Brittney Griner, for example, was jailed in Russia for about 10 months after being caught at an airport with cannabis vapes that she said were used for medical purposes in accordance with Arizona law. She was freed as part of a prisoner swap orchestrated by the Biden administration. Similarly, U.S. citizen Marc Fogel was also jailed in Russia for possessing marijuana that he says he used legally under Pennsylvania law to treat back pain. He was freed in a prisoner swap negotiated by the Trump administration. While the State Department is warning Americans about the risks of traveling with cannabis overseas, recently released FBI data shows that police in the U.S. made more than 200,000 arrests for marijuana-related offenses here at home last year. When it comes to domestic travel, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) pushed back earlier this year against exaggerated headlines about a supposed change in the federal government’s policy on bringing marijuana into airports and on airplanes. “TSA’s policy on medical marijuana has not changed,” a TSA spokesperson told Marijuana Moment. “Per TSA’s website: If any illegal substance or evidence of criminal activity is discovered during security screening, TSA will refer the matter to a law enforcement officer.” Despite the growing number of states that have legalized marijuana for medical or adult use, cannabis largely remains illegal at the federal level—though the Trump administration is taking steps to reclassify it. Attorney General Todd Blanche in April issued an order that immediately reclassified state-licensed medical cannabis, as well as marijuana products approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) from Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) to Schedule III. Under a separate order he signed, a hearing is considering more comprehensively moving marijuana to Schedule III. Image element courtesy of Steve Fitzgerald. The post State Department Warns Americans Against Traveling Internationally With Marijuana Or CBD Products appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

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Massachusetts has reached a key marijuana milestone, with officials announcing that the state has surpassed $10 billion in adult-use cannabis purchases since the market launched in 2018. The new data from the state Cannabis Control Commission (CCC), shared with Marijuana Moment ahead of its official release on Wednesday, comes just weeks ahead of voters’ decision on a ballot measure that would roll back the state’s recreational marijuana legalization law. If approved, the initiative would repeal laws allowing the regulated commercial sales of recreational cannabis and home cultivation while maintaining legal possession and continuing the medical marijuana system. A poll released last month found that Massachusetts voters oppose the marijuana legalization repeal measure, 55 percent to 33 percent. CCC Chair Chris Harding told Marijuana Moment that he can’t comment directly on the initiative and that the commission does not take positions on pending ballot questions or legislation, but he said that, in general, “repeal of the adult-use industry could eliminate thousands of jobs, hundreds of businesses and billions in tax revenue.” “The commission has worked very hard since the first commissioners were appointed in September 2017 to make sure consumers can buy safe, tested products in a marketplace that prioritizes equity as a founding principle,” Harding said. If the legal market were to disappear, “cannabis could recede back into the shadows with no health and safety protections,” the chair said. The state officially crossed the $10 billion mark for recreational marijuana sales on September 5, CCC said. June alone saw $156 million in sales—the highest total in any single month since legalization. The state’s medical cannabis dispensaries have sold an additional $1.64 billion since sales began in 2015—including $96 million so far this year. “The Massachusetts adult-use cannabis industry has reached $10 billion in gross sales just under eight years after the first retail stores opened in 2018,” Harding told Marijuana Moment. “That’s a remarkable milestone for an industry that’s only as old as the last Red Sox World Series championship. It also shows how much trust our licensees have built over the last eight years, and we congratulate them for that.” “In practical terms, that revenue keeps 782 active cannabis businesses operating with some 20,000 registered agents performing jobs from bud tending to food science and delivery driving,” he said. “That’s a serious economic engine. And each transaction supports vital services in Massachusetts.” MA adult-use Marijuana Establishments exceeded $10 billion in all-time gross sales following several strong revenue months, including the highest monthly sales ever in June, according to sales data published to @MA_Cannabis’ Open Data Platform. Learn more: https://t.co/j3ajRzWwNZ pic.twitter.com/pMY7cnYstL — Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission (@MA_Cannabis) September 9, 2026 Cannabis sales, local and excise taxes generated approximately $336 million in fiscal year 2026, according to the Massachusetts Department of Revenue. This fall, CCC is planning to launch a social media campaign to highlight how the industry has grown since voters approved a recreational marijuana legalization initiative on the 2016 ballot. That will include highlighting data such as: Almost 20,000 registered agents in the adult-use industry as of August, encompassing 15,000 individual employees 782 operating businesses, including more than 100 equity-owned/operated businesses and 91 medical cannabis dispensaries $2 billion in state and local taxes generated since 2016 supporting substance abuse recovery, police training, the Prevention and Wellness Trust Fund, restorative justice programs and more More than $43 million in local option taxes to cities and towns in fiscal year 2026 alone Nearly $60 million in financial assistance to equity licenses since 2024 funded by cannabis tax revenue through the Social Equity Trust Fund The Commission’s Social Equity Program has accepted nearly 1,300 participants, providing technical assistance training for entry into the industry for people disproportionately harmed by cannabis prohibition “As regulators, part of our job is to be accountable to our constituents: consumers, licensees, and residents of Massachusetts, and we want to continue that work,” Harding said. “The industry is still young, and we’re focused on strengthening it as it matures.” The new $10 billion threshold was crossed just about seven months after CCC reported that Massachusetts adult-use marijuana sales had cleared the $9 billion mark. In April, Gov. Maura Healey (D) signed a bill to double the legal marijuana possession limit for adults and revise the regulatory framework for the state’s adult-use cannabis market. In December, state regulators also finalized rules for marijuana social consumption lounges. Meanwhile, although the latest survey results on the legalization rollback measure provide some comfort to cannabis reform supporters, advocates are not resting. A coalition of Massachusetts marijuana business leaders, healthcare professionals and other advocates have launched a campaign to defeat the measure. The Marijuana Policy Project (MPP) recently issued a warning that passage of the legalization rollback measure would have “disastrous political and economic consequences for legal cannabis markets everywhere.” “Even a too-close victory would spook markets and incentivize a rash of similar initiatives in states around the country, each costing millions to try and defeat,” the group said. After the Secretary of the Commonwealth’s Office determined that organizers for the anti-cannabis proposal had turned in enough valid signatures to put the measure before voters, a marijuana reform advocate filed an objection with the State Ballot Law Commission claiming that various signatures were not genuine, obtained through fraudulent means or were not “signed substantially as registered.” The body rejected the challenge to the legal marijuana rollback measure, however, clearing it to go before voters to decide. In June, the campaign behind the anti-legalization ballot measure fired a signature gatherer it says was shown appearing to engage in “wholly unacceptable” conduct in a recent video. As Marijuana Moment reported, a man petitioning for the Massachusetts initiative as well as a similar anti-cannabis proposal in Maine was depicted in recent social media posts seeming to argue that voters who support legal marijuana access should sign the petitions in order to advance or protect reform. The campaign later said it has “zero tolerance for any circulation tactics that would mislead petition signers.” “The identified canvasser was immediately terminated, in coordination with our vendor, upon being made aware of the alleged conduct,” the group said. “The conduct apparent in the video would be wholly unacceptable and does not reflect how this campaign operates. We demand honesty, transparency and professionalism from everyone associated with our effort.” A video posted to Reddit of the signature gatherer shows the man collecting signatures outside a retail store in Massachusetts next to a sign that says “keep cannabis legal.” When confronted by a marijuana reform supporter who recorded the petitioner’s interactions with voters, he appeared to be trying to convince them that it is important to qualify the anti-cannabis measure for the ballot in order to then defeat it. “This is what we’re fighting against right here. That’s why we vote no,” he said. “If we can get this to the ballot right here, we vote no.” The person who captured the video pointed out that Massachusetts voters already approved marijuana legalization years ago, and that the only way it could be imminently repealed is if the new ballot measure qualified for the November election. If the initiative did not get enough signatures to go before voters, the state’s laws would remain the same. “It’s my job,” the petitioner insisted, however. “I know what I’m talking about.” “It’s a group of rich folks from out of state that want to basically take marijuana to when it was a medical marijuana card,” he said. “We don’t want that to happen.” The same man also appeared to also be gathering signatures for a separate measure in Maine that would similarly repeal laws allowing regulated adult-use marijuana sales and home cultivation rights for adults while keeping possession legal and adding new testing requirements for medical cannabis. A staffer for the prohibitionist organization Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM), whose affiliated group SAM Action is largely funding the anti-cannabis ballot campaigns in both states, declined to comment about the petitioner’s conduct when reached by Marijuana Moment. The campaigns have previously been accused of misleading petitioning tactics. In Massachusetts, some voters reported that the campaign used fake cover letters for other ballot measures on unrelated issues like affordable housing and same-day voter registration during the first round of petitioning. Legal cannabis supporters filed an earlier formal complaint about the prohibitionist effort’s tactics, but the State Ballot Law Commission rejected the challenge. The measure also faced a legal challenge from cannabis industry operatives who argued it contains “impermissibly unrelated subjects,” and that the state attorney general’s official summary is “misleading and deficient.” The state Supreme Judicial Court heard oral arguments on the litigation challenging the anti-marijuana initiative but it ultimately ruled against the lawsuit. The post Massachusetts Hits $10 Billion In Recreational Marijuana Sales As Vote On Ballot Measure To Roll Back Legalization Approaches appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

You make so many great points here that I read your article a couple of times. Your views are in accordance with my own for the most part. This is great content for your readers. Pergolas Murcia

Top GOP congressman: Marijuana a “gateway drug”; States with high cannabis arrests; Hemp regulation op-ed Subscribe to receive Marijuana Moment’s newsletter in your inbox every weekday morning. It’s the best way to make sure you know which cannabis stories are shaping the day. Get our daily newsletter. Email address: Leave this field empty if you're human: Your support makes Marijuana Moment possible… BREAKING: Journalism is often consumed for free, but costs money to produce! While this newsletter is proudly sent without cost to you, our ability to send it each day depends on the financial support of readers who can afford to give it. So if you’ve got a few dollars to spare each month and believe in the work we do, please consider joining us on Patreon today. https://www.patreon.com/marijuanamoment / TOP THINGS TO KNOW A new federal marijuana banking report from the Government Accountability Office shows that “obtaining and maintaining financial services remain difficult” for many cannabis businesses—though there is “no indication” any bank has ever been penalized solely for working with the marijuana industry. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) told Marijuana Moment he thinks cannabis is a “gateway drug” that “causes other problems down the road”—largely sidestepping a question about his home state of Louisiana having among the highest number of marijuana arrests in the U.S. A new NORML analysis of FBI data shows that more than half of all drug arrests were for marijuana in several states across the U.S. last year. Upstate Elevator’s Dylan Raap—who operates separate companies in both the regulated marijuana and hemp industries—argues in a new Marijuana Moment op-ed that Congress should take the chance to regulate THC products. “Eliminating a competing channel is not the same as regulating it… Responsible operators on both sides should want rules that protect consumers and make it harder for bad actors to compete.” A Colorado Marijuana Enforcement Division spokesperson defended the agency from criticism about delays in warning the public about cannabis products with reports of adverse effects, citing regulators’ limited powers to initiate recalls. / FEDERAL Sen. Tim Sheehy (R-MT) tweeted, “A blanket hemp ban would wipe out American farm families, small businesses, and countless jobs. We need commonsense guardrails, not prohibition.” / STATES A federal judge dismissed a lawsuit challenging Hawaii hemp product restrictions. Illinois regulators published an interactive map of marijuana and hemp businesses. The California Cannabis Advisory Committee will meet on Tuesday. Colorado regulators will hold a psychedelics rulemaking stakeholder meeting on September 30. — 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. — / SCIENCE & HEALTH A study found that hemp seed oil leads to improvements in “crackers‘ nutritional, oxidative, and bioactive properties without compromising sensory taste.” A study of mice found that “psilocybin enhances sociability only in altered behavioural state and does not need an awake experience to be effective.” / ADVOCACY, OPINION & ANALYSIS The Houston Chronicle editorial board criticized local police for an increase in marijuana arrests. / BUSINESS AtaiBeckley Inc. shareholders reportedly approved the company’s acquisition by Eli Lilly and Company. Curaleaf Holdings, Inc. is pushing back on what it called “inaccurate and misleading statements” from Aurora Cannabis Inc. about its offer to acquire that company. Make sure to subscribe to get Marijuana Moment’s daily dispatch in your inbox. Get our daily newsletter. Email address: Leave this field empty if you're human: Photo courtesy of Chris Wallis // Side Pocket Images. The post New federal cannabis banking report published (Newsletter: September 9, 2026) appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

It's really interesting to see these two seemingly disparate topics brought together for discussion. I appreciate the thoughtful approach to finding common ground, or at least common angles, in such complex issues. It reminds me a bit of trying to find the perfect path through a tough level in geometry dash lite – sometimes you have to look at things from a whole new perspective to succeed!

I once organized a city-wide scavenger hunt, needing numerous diverse checkpoints. It felt like playing Crossy Road with locations, constantly trying to find suitable spots that fit the criteria.