TG Branfalt

A bill in South Carolina aims to regulate and tax intoxicating hemp-derived products such as delta-8 and delta-10 THC; under the measure, hemp products would require laboratory testing.

Ohio lawmakers are seeking to change the state’s voter-approved cannabis legalization bill with a proposal that would remove provisions to stop municipalities from banning cannabis operations and home cultivation, and change how cannabis taxes are earmarked in the state.

Oklahoma officials said this week that the number of medical cannabis cultivators in the state has dropped from about 9,400 in 2021 to about 3,200 today; the decline comes amid a crackdown by regulators on alleged bad actors in the industry.

New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu (R) this week introduced two non-negotiables to any adult-use cannabis rules in the state: a 15-store cap statewide and a ban on lobbying and political contributions by cannabis licensees.

The New York Cannabis Control Board this week approved a settlement in a lawsuit brought by military veterans that has prevented more than 400 adult-use cannabis dispensaries from moving forward in the state.

A recent report found that because medical cannabis prices in Virginia are so high, about 90% of registered patients are purchasing products from outside the state’s medical cannabis market.

A bipartisan Wisconsin proposal is seeking to make it easier for researchers to treat patients with post-traumatic stress disorder with psilocybin.

Data from the cannabis tech company Weedmaps found that retail cannabis sales on the day before Thanksgiving — dubbed “Green Wednesday” by the industry — surpassed average cannabis sales on Black Friday.

The Lower Sioux Indian Community in Minnesota is constructing a vertically integrated campus for the manufacturing of hempcrete. The campus, once complete, will be the first facility of its kind in the U.S.

The University of Utah Health is set to launch the Center for Medical Cannabis Research, which aims to “advance scientific understanding of medical cannabis and help patients and providers make informed health decisions about this increasingly common medication.”

A recent study found that about 80% of people who consume cannabis to help with sleep quit using prescription and over-the-counter sleep aids such as melatonin and benzodiazepines.

Following a recent Georgia Court of Appeals ruling, state cannabis regulators are finally issuing medical cannabis licenses after a more than two-year legal fight.

The Maryland Supreme Court has declined to review a lower court’s injunction against the enforcement of a state law banning intoxicating hemp products. Under this development, the injunction will remain in place and retailers can continue to sell products containing delta-8 THC and delta-10 THC.

A recent study found that high schoolers in Massachusetts were not more likely to use cannabis after legalization but were more likely to use cannabis if they perceived that their family or friends used cannabis themselves.

Budtenders at the Strawberry Fields dispensary in Columbus, Ohio voted to join Teamsters Local 413, becoming the first dispensary workers in the state to join the union.

Cannabis health-tech company Veriheal last week announced three winners for its annual Innovation in Cannabis Scholarship for 2023, with each winner receiving $10,000 for college tuition and fees.

Minnesota’s Office of Traffic Safety is pilot-testing a saliva-based roadside cannabis impairment test; the pilot program will be for data-gathering purposes only, meaning samples will be given voluntarily with no risk of arrest or driver’s license suspension.

The Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission this week reached a settlement with license applicants to address most of the issues highlighted by the multiple lawsuits against the agency.

The family of the woman who died last year while working at a Trulieve cannabis facility in Holyoke, Massachusetts has filed a lawsuit against the company and the people who worked on its HVAC system.

Oklahoma has extended its moratorium on new medical cannabis licenses until 2026, or until “all pending licensing reviews, inspections or investigations are complete.”

California cannabis regulators this month issued an embargo on cannabis products from three companies, claiming the products may have been “adulterated.”

There are now two adult-use cannabis legalization ballot measures being proposed in South Dakota; the measures will each require 17,509 valid petition signatures from registered South Dakota voters to qualify for the 2024 general election.

Hawaii Attorney General Anne Lopez has authored a bill to legalize adult-use cannabis; the proposal includes a 10% tax surcharge and 4.25% excise tax on adult-use sales but would not impose taxes on the medical cannabis industry.

New York cannabis regulators have finalized rules for intoxicating hemp products in the state including bans on products containing Delta-8 THC, THC-A, and THC-O.