Marijuana Moment: Fed lawsuit on Medicare CBD coverage advances (Newsletter: August 28, 2026)

2026-08-28T10:11:13Z

KY medical marijuana update; VA hemp biz want hearing on ban; Cannabis treatment referrals higher in illegal states

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/ TOP THINGS TO KNOW

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit has issued an order laying out the schedule for a lawsuit from anti-marijuana groups and a cannabis-focused biopharmaceutical corporation that seeks to block a Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services plan to cover hemp products for eligible patients.

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear (D) gave an update on the rollout of the state’s medical cannabis program, saying it is now “over the halfway mark” toward “becoming fully operational when it comes to dispensaries”—and touting marijuana as an alternative to “addictive opioids.”

Virginia hemp businesses are calling on the legislature’s Joint Commission to Oversee the Transition of the Commonwealth into a Cannabis Retail Market to hold a hearing on newly enacted THC product restrictions to establish a “complete public record” on the “consequences” of the policy.

NORML Deputy Director Paul Armentano explains in a Marijuana Moment op-ed how new federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration data shows that “cannabis-related drug treatment admissions are highest in jurisdictions where cannabis possession remains illegal and where marijuana-related arrests are most prevalent.”

A new study on the impact of psychedelics decriminalization found that participants said it is “associated with reduced legal risk, improved safety and therapeutic access, and enhanced psychosocial wellbeing, with minimal reports of worsening conditions or widespread initiation of use, suggesting it functioned more as a harm-reduction and community-health strategy than as a permissive drug policy.”

“Decriminalizing psychedelics represents a rational, evidence-informed recalibration of drug policy that prioritizes health, equity and safety.”

/ FEDERAL

President Donald Trump issued a statement recognizing Overdose and Drug Poisoning Awareness Week.

The Drug Enforcement Administration is moving to place three 7-OH-related compounds in Schedule I.

Rep. Greg Landsman (D-OH) discussed his bill to regulate hemp THC drinks, saying, “we have so many people in southwest Ohio who poured a ton of money, no pun intended, into these businesses.”

/ STATES

A Florida grand jury found that Gov. Ron DeSantis’s (R) administration “misappropriated” Medicaid settlement funds that were later used to campaign against a marijuana legalization ballot initiative.

The North Carolina Advisory Council on Cannabis’s Public Safety Subcommittee held a hearing on marijuana-impaired driving.

California generated $261.7 million in marijuana sales tax revenue in the second quarter of the year.

Alabama regulators said the state’s second medical cannabis dispensary will open on Friday.

Oklahoma medical cannabis regulators are hosting a series of community conversations across the state.

The New York Cannabis Control Board will meet on Thursday.

Maryland regulators will host a cannabis industry workforce development conference on October 10.

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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.

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/ INTERNATIONAL

Jersey medical cannabis prescriptions increased by 35 percent over a year.

/ SCIENCE & HEALTH

A study found that “CBD may have potential as an adjunct or alternative strategy in HER2-positive breast cancer.”

/ ADVOCACY, OPINION & ANALYSIS

The Empire State Green Standard Alliance has a booth at the New York State Fair.

/ BUSINESS

Lawyers for Curaleaf reportedly sent a journalist another letter that they said is both “on the record” but “not for publication.”