From Our Writers

Organizers of Seattle’s Hempfest are suing the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board over the regulators’ new interpretations of advertising restrictions, which advocates say violate their first amendment right to free speech.

A recent U.S. survey found that if cannabis were made federally legal, the vast majority of consumers (85 percent) would use it as a treatment option for specific ailments, not necessarily just for recreation.

Lawmakers in Louisiana have approved a bill that allows the “inhalation” of cannabis via an inhaler-like apparatus; smoking, however, would remain illegal under the state medical cannabis program.

The Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe in South Dakota is suing the USDA for having failed to approve its proposed plan to regulate hemp production on tribal lands within the 60 days required under last year’s Farm Bill.

Researchers at the University of Washington have mapped the gene networks of cannabis that are responsible for cannabinoid and terpenoid production.

New hemp program rules in Tennessee have relaxed some of the regulations faced by farmers and hemp processors: processors no longer need to register with the Department of Agriculture, for example, while farmers can now apply to grow the crop year-round.

Minnesota’s two medical cannabis companies lost a combined $2.4 million last year; the losses, however, are thanks largely to both companies having invested in expanded operations to meet the program’s growing demand.

Five new qualifying conditions were approved for the state medical cannabis program by Connecticut’s Department of Consumer Protection; the conditions must still be accepted by the legislature’s Regulations Review Committee before they are officially added.

The FDA’s first-ever CBD hearing took place last Friday. The agency heard from a host of speakers including nutritional supplement experts, private citizens, medical cannabis patients, hemp businesses, and more.

A recent report suggests that the addition of infused cannabis products to Canada’s legal marketplace could be worth about $2.7 billion per year, with edibles alone expected to generate $1.6 billion in sales.

New Jersey’s governor wants to add another 100 dispensaries to the state’s medical cannabis program, which currently has only six operational retailers. This expansion would accompany a host of other changes meant to benefit patients.

Idaho law enforcement says it will continue arresting long-haul truck drivers who ferry industrial hemp through the state and confiscating their cargo, despite hemp’s federal legalization and a USDA memo that clarifies interstate hemp transport is legal.

The two operating dispensaries in Arkansas have distributed more than 100 pounds of cannabis since legal sales launched on May 10.

Sir Sam’s Inn and Spa in Ontario is the province’s first resort to receive a “cannabis-friendly” designation by Cannabis Hotels. A business representative said the inn doesn’t want to become known specifically as a cannabis destination but just wants to acknowledge the legality of cannabis.

Illinois lawmakers have approved a legalization bill that, if signed into law by Gov. J.B. Pritzker — a cannabis legalization supporter — would make Illinois the 11th state to legalize cannabis.

A federal appeals court has ruled that a lawsuit challenging the prohibition of cannabis can remain open — despite being dismissed last year — so that actions can be taken against the Drug Enforcement Agency if it fails to address the issue of cannabis’ Schedule 1 status.

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis has signed two new cannabis bills into law: one allows cannabis delivery as an option in the state, the other gives Coloradans the right to establish and visit social-use cannabis lounges.

The DEA is carefully monitoring and sometimes modifying interviews by its personnel — and other representations of the agency — as part of a larger media effort to control how it appears in documentaries, reality shows, and dramas.

Zimbabwe’s first medical cannabis farm will be a 10-hectare plot at a prison. The license was granted nearly one year after the government legalized cannabis cultivation for medical and scientific purposes.

Google has officially banned apps that assist with cannabis transactions, including delivery apps and any app that includes a “shopping cart” feature for cannabis products.

A tax-and-regulate legalization plan has advanced from the Illinois Senate to the House of Representatives. The bill has the support of Gov. J.B. Pritzker and, if fully approved, would make Illinois the 11th state to legalize cannabis for adult use.

Applications are flooding in for Maryland’s 14 new medical cannabis operator licenses; the additional licenses are aimed at increasing the number of minority- and women-owned businesses in the industry.

At 100 acres, 48North’s new 250,000-plant outdoor cannabis cultivation facility in Brant County, Ontario is set to be the country’s largest cannabis cultivation site.

The bill — which expands medical cannabis in the state by adding seven new conditions to the program’s qualifying conditions list and removing a requirement for patients to have two doctors’ recommendations before accessing the program — now goes to Gov. Greg Abbott for his signature.