Ohio cannabis manufacturers and retailers could soon begin offering pre-roll products under new industry rules recently unveiled by the Ohio Division of Cannabis Control, WCPO reports.
The proposal, currently under review by the Ohio Medical Marijuana Control Program, would permit licensed processors to manufacture and sell pre-rolled cannabis joints. Advocates argue that pre-rolls offer convenience for patients and recreational users, while regulators are focused on ensuring product safety and compliance. The move reflects a broader trend in cannabis markets across the U.S. to diversify product offerings and enhance consumer accessibility.
Supporters of the proposal emphasize that pre-rolls are a widely popular product in other legal cannabis markets, often serving as an affordable, ready-to-use option for consumers. For patients with limited mobility or dexterity, pre-rolls can eliminate barriers to access by simplifying the consumption process. Additionally, dispensaries could benefit from increased sales and an expanded product portfolio.
Opponents, however, have raised concerns about potential regulatory challenges and the risk of inconsistent quality. Critics argue that strict oversight will be needed to ensure that pre-rolled products meet Ohio’s testing standards and labeling requirements. Regulators are expected to weigh these considerations as part of the approval process.
“This change would represent a step forward for Ohio’s cannabis program, meeting consumer demand while maintaining rigorous oversight to protect public health,” said an industry spokesperson during the public comment period, according to the WCPO report.
If approved, Ohio would join other states where pre-rolls have become a staple product in both medical and adult-use cannabis markets.
Tennessee state officials and city officials in Spring Hills have agreed to pay a $735,000 settlement to two hemp companies over the contested seizure of their products earlier this year, WKRN reports.
The lawsuit stemmed from the May 2023 seizure, during which authorities allegedly confiscated legal hemp products without proper justification. The case highlighted ongoing tensions between law enforcement and hemp operators over product legality and regulatory understanding. As part of the settlement, officials did not admit wrongdoing but agreed to the payout to resolve the dispute.
“This settlement is more than a financial recovery — it’s a critical statement about law enforcement’s responsibility to understand and respect the law. Hemp is a legal agricultural product, and businesses should not live in fear of arbitrary seizures based on ignorance.” — Litson PLLC attorney Alex Little, in a statement
The settlement marks another win for Tennessee hemp operators after a Nashville judge this week blocked the rollout of new hemp products restrictions, which had been challenged by two industry groups.
Tennesse’s new hemp product regulations were blocked from taking effect this week in a last-minute ruling by Davidson County Chancellor I’Ashea Myles, who ordered a temporary injunction Monday on the new rules, Tennessee Lookout reports.
The rules were set to take effect Thursday, December 26, but under the injunction are now delayed until February 18.
Judge Myles said the delay gives her more time to consider legal challenges brought by two hemp industry organizations, Tennessee Healthy Alternatives Association and Tennessee Growers Coalition, the report said. The plaintiffs claim the rules would amount to state agency overreach, as officials would be prohibiting a substance that was not addressed by lawmakers in their 2023 law to regulate the state’s hemp industry.
“The Department of Agriculture wants to unilaterally outlaw the most popular legal hemp products in Tennessee, those containing THCa. The Tennessee Healthy Alternatives Association did not want to sue the Department, but it could not stand by in the face of such a decision. The Department’s rules outlaw products our elected officials in the General Assembly expressly legalized and would force mass layoffs and business closures among our members.” — Tennessee Healthy Alternatives Association, via Tennessee Lookout
The Department of Agriculture said in the report, “we respect the court’s decision and look forward to reaching a final resolution of these matters.”
Nearly 60% of German citizens support broad cannabis legalization in the nation, according to a German Hemp Association poll published last week. The poll found 59% of respondents backed the reforms, the highest level recorded by the organization in the 10 years it has polled German citizens on the legalization question.
The German government had initially put forth legislation to enact adult-use cannabis possession and sales reforms; however, the law that took effect April 1 allows only personal cannabis use.
The German Hemp Association poll, conducted by market research and polling company Infratest Dimap, asked: “In Canada and many US states, adults can legally purchase cannabis in specialty stores. Do you tend to agree or disagree with the following statement? ‘Cannabis should be available to adults in Germany legally and in a regulated manner, for example in specialty stores like in Canada or the USA.’”
Support was highest among Green Party (78%) and Social Democratic Party (SPD) voters (63%) – the left-wing political parties in Germany – while only 46% of supporters of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and Christian Social Union in Bavaria (CSU) backed the reforms.
Thirty-eight percent of respondents rejected the proposal, with 37% favoring making personal possession illegal again and 41% opposing home cultivation of cannabis, with 56% backing home cultivation reforms. The German reforms allow individuals to cultivate up to three plants for personal use.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has signed a bill to include cannabis in the definition of crops under the state’s agriculture law. The approval allows cannabis to be defined as an agricultural product in the state affording it protections under state law and making cannabis eligible to receive an agricultural assessment.
Prior to the new regime, farmers who converted land from growing an agricultural product currently receiving an agricultural assessment to cannabis could lose the assessment on that portion of land converted to growing cannabis, which could have resulted in unforeseen real property tax increases and possible penalties for conversion.
“For the state to reach its goal of having an adult cannabis program that achieves its social equity goals, which includes distressed farmers, we must not penalize farmers who choose to grow cannabis.” — A.1234/S.1752 text
Hochul also vetoed a bill that would have changed the tax schedule for cannabis distributors to allow them to file the state’s 9% cannabis excise tax annually instead of quarterly. The proposal would have put the tax schedule in line with how the state treats the alcohol excise tax.
The governor did not issue a veto message for her action on the tax legislation.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) last week sent a letter to manufacturers using the amanita mushroom in its products warning that use of the fungus or its extracts violates the federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetics (FD&C) Act. The amanita mushroom is often used in products marketed as “psychedelic edibles,” “legal psychedelics” or “mushroom edibles” and sold in gas stations or smoke shops.
“Specifically, FDA determined that Amanita muscaria, its extracts, and certain constituents (muscimol, ibotenic acid, and muscarine), do not meet the Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) standard and are unapproved food additives. We conducted this evaluation because we have received serious adverse event reports associated with multiple food products marketed as containing these substances and we reviewed published literature confirming reported human health risks.” — FDA “Letter to Industry on the Use of Amanita Muscaria or its Constituents in Food,” 12/18/24
The agency contends that large exposure of the mushroom can lead to severe neurological symptoms, such as convulsions and that the National Poison Data System reported hundreds of calls in the last year associated with consumption of products containing the mushroom.
The agency did not list the companies sent the letter but indicated that it “will continue to monitor the food supply to help ensure the safety of ingredients in food” and that “ultimately, it is the responsibility of manufacturers, processors, distributors, and other facility operators to ensure that their food products marketed in the U.S. market are safe and lawful.”
The Delaware Office of the Marijuana Commissioner (OMC) held the state’s cannabis dispensary business license lottery last week, awarding licenses to 15 applicants from across the state, the Delaware News Journal reports. Officials said they received 529 applications for dispensary licenses.
The winning applicants, however, cannot immediately launch their businesses. First, they must satisfy several more requirements before they can receive a conditional license, including:
Paying any background check-related fees or costs
Providing documentation on the company’s finances and ownership
Submitting notice from a labor organization that the licensee reached a labor peace agreement with said group
Reaching compliance with local zoning laws, and fire and building codes
Satisfying any last official information or documentation requests
Applicants have 18 months to satisfy these requirements, the report said. If the requirements are not met or if a licensee fails to open their business in time, the license will be rescinded.
Of the 15 applicants who won dispensary licenses in last week’s lottery, three operators are in Kent County, five are in Sussex County, and seven are in New Castle County.
Delaware‘s open application period for cannabis licenses in the state ended September 30 and with application fees costing $5,000 for standard licenses, $3,000 for microbusiness licenses, and $1,000 for social equity fees, the state earned more than $4 million from cannabis applications.
The Alabama Court of Civil Appeals on Friday ruled that the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission (AMCC) had “properly exercised” its power when rescinding medical cannabis business licenses it awarded previously, 1819 News reports.
The lawsuit was filed by three medical cannabis companies who were initially awarded licenses in August 2023, only to have the licenses rescinded under litigation brought by other applicants who had not been selected in the first licensing round. The three companies, Southeast Cannabis Company, Yellowhammer Medical Dispensaries, and TheraTrue Alabama, filed suit against the AMCC after not being selected for licenses during the subsequent licensing round in December 2023. In total, Alabama awarded medical cannabis business licenses on three separate occasions in 2023.
“Alabama law recognizes that an administrative agency has a limited inherent power to rescind a nonfinal administrative order to avoid a procedural legal error. The AMCC properly exercised that limited power when it rescinded the August 10, 2023, license awards. In conclusion, we dismiss the appeals insofar as they relate to any claims arising out of the August 10, 2023, decision to rescind the June 12, 2023, license awards. We conclude that the circuit court had jurisdiction over the claims arising out of the AMCC’s October 26, 2023, decision to rescind the medical-cannabis license awards made on August 10, 2023, and we affirm the summary judgment as to those claims.” — Excerpt from the Alabama Court of Civil Appeals ruling
Attorney Patrick Dungan, who represents Southeast Cannabis Company, said in the report the ruling means “that state agencies are gods… that they can do whatever they want to do, whenever they want to do it, and put things on ice for as long as they want to.”
“As of today, if you don’t like the decision of a state agency, all you have to do is accuse the agency of doing something wrong and the agency can use that allegation, without admitting any wrongdoing, as an excuse to give itself a mulligan, even if other parties are harmed,” Dungan told 1819 News.
In October, a Montgomery Circuit judge appointed a mediator to help resolve the legal dispute over the state’s embattled medical cannabis licensing process.
Virginia state lawmakers Del. Paul Krizek (D) and Sen. Aaron Rouse (D) are planning to revive their proposals to establish a legal, regulated cannabis marketplace for the 2025 legislative session even though Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) vetoed the same legislation in 2024, Virginia Public Media reports.
Democrats, however, still control the state Legislature, and the bill’s sponsors said lawmakers should press for establishing a regulated retail cannabis market as it would help to address public safety concerns that are shared across the aisle.
“Even though it’s highly unlikely the governor will not veto the bill, I don’t think we should give him a free pass, and I think it’s too important for the commonwealth.” — Krizek, via Virginia Public Media
Cannabis is legal in Virginia for adults aged 21+ to consume and possess under a 2021 legalization policy signed into law by then-Gov. Ralph Northam, a Democrat. The initial legislation, however, stopped short of establishing regulations for retail cannabis shops.
A spokesperson for the governor confirmed in the report that Youngkin would likely veto any proposal to regulate adult-use cannabis sales.
In his veto statement earlier this year, Youngkin noted that “the most concerning consequence of cannabis commercialization is its impact on adolescents and our children.”
Meanwhile, recent research based on the annual Monitoring the Future Survey found that cannabis use by American teenagers continued to decline in 2024 even as more states enacted adult-use reforms.
The Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission (CCC) voted Wednesday to offer Holliston Town Manager Travis Ahern the role of the agency’s next executive director, the MetroWest Daily News reports. The agency’s first choice, who heads the Cannabis Division at the Illinois Department of Agriculture, had originally accepted the position earlier this month but then changed his mind.
The CCC has been without a permanent executive director since the former agency head, Shannon O’Brien, was removed from the position more than a year ago. O’Brien filed a lawsuit over the suspension last year but State Treasurer Deb Goldberg announced in September that O’Brien’s removal was permanent, as she had been fired for allegedly making “racially, ethnically and culturally insensitive statements.”
Ahern was a finalist during the agency’s initial search for a permanent executive director. Acting Commission Chair Bruce Stebbins told New England Public Media that he thought Ahern is a good fit for the job:
“Mr. Ahern is a candidate…we thought highly of during our discussions, and, for me, I think would be a good candidate to move forward and select.” — Stebbins, via New England Public Media
The commissioners decided unanimously in a 4-0 vote on Wednesday to offer the position to Ahern and enter into contract discussions. The agency also determined that if Ahern ultimately declines the offer, the commission will reconvene for a detailed discussion covering the next steps.
The Ohio Division of Cannabis Control has proposed a new rule package for the state’s cannabis industry, including a ban on cannabis advertising via methods “with a high likelihood of reaching persons under the age of 18,” Cleveland.com reports. The rules would prohibit cannabis companies from advertising on billboards, radio, television, and online.
The rules would also allow the sale of pre-rolls and “super pre-rolls” — flower pre-rolls infused with concentrates — at state-licensed adult-use dispensaries. The rules prohibit any pre-roll products from being sold through the state’s medical cannabis dispensaries as the state bars patients from smokeable products.
Tom Haren, a spokesman for the Ohio Cannabis Coalition, a cannabis industry trade group, told Cleveland.com that the organization is still reviewing the proposals.
“The industry continues to appreciate the speed in which the division is promulgating some of these final rules packages, and working with the industry to continue to transition away from medical-only rules, and to get these 10B (dual medical and recreational) dispensaries licensed and allowing us to serve the dual-use market.” — Haren to Cleveland.com
The rules also outline how dispensaries can offer discounts, specifying that each dispensary must have a written discount policy and that any discount offered to adult-use customers must be available to medical cannabis patients, and that dispensary employees cannot receive any rebates or discounts.
The rules also state that dispensaries must have a written return policy and that dispensaries must accept returns on defective products, or products that don’t match the item on the receipt or if the product is mislabeled.
Researchers at Rutgers Health have been awarded a $686,376 National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) grant to study the potential therapeutic benefits of medical cannabis as well as side effects and possible harms to health.
In a statement, Tammy Chung, the project’s lead researcher and psychiatry professor within the Rutgers Institute for Health, Health Care Policy and Aging Research, noted that “There’s been a rapid expansion of medical cannabis use, but we lack clarity related to potential risks.”
“For example, should our criteria for assessing cannabis use disorder be the same for therapeutic and recreational users? And what type of guidelines should we apply for individuals using cannabis both recreationally and for therapeutic reasons? There are gaps in our knowledge, and the answers are important to informing health care decisions.” — Chung in a press release
Chung added “It’s important to note that not all patients using medical cannabis develop [cannabis use disorder].”
“But some do, and right now we can’t be sure who’s at risk,” she said in the statement. “To provide the best support, we need to learn more about all relevant factors. The more we understand, the more effective our counseling resources can be.”
Participants in the Rutgers Health study must meet New Jersey’s qualifications for legal cannabis use and have a valid New Jersey medical cannabis program card authorizing therapeutic use.
The federally funded Monitoring the Future Survey found that cannabis use among U.S. teenagers has continued to decline even as more states enact adult-use legalization policies, despite warnings from cannabis reform opponents.
The study, directed by the University of Michigan and supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), is an annual survey tracking how U.S. high school students view and consume substances including cannabis, tobacco, alcohol, and other drugs.
According to a NIDA press release, “Cannabis use remained stable [in 2024] for the younger grades, with 7.2 percent of eighth graders and 15.9 percent of 10th graders reporting cannabis use in the past 12 months. Cannabis use declined among 12th graders, with 25.8 percent reporting cannabis use in the past 12 months (compared to 29.0 percent in 2023).”
“This trend in the reduction of substance use among teenagers is unprecedented. We must continue to investigate factors that have contributed to this lowered risk of substance use to tailor interventions to support the continuation of this trend.” — NIDA’s director Nora D. Volkow, M.D., in a statement
This year’s study also measured for the first time teenagers’ use of products containing delta-8 THC, a psychoactive cannabinoid typically sourced from federally legal hemp plants. Researchers noted that 2.9 percent of eighth graders, 7.9 percent of 10th graders, and 12.3 percent of 12th graders reported using delta-8 THC within the past 12 months.
The Kentucky Office of Medical Cannabis (OCM) on Monday held the state’s last medical cannabis licensing lottery, drawing 12 final dispensary license winners.
An earlier licensing lottery in November awarded the state’s first 36 dispensary licenses. Like before, selected applicants have 15 days to pay the $5,000 licensing fee or they will have to forfeit their license. Previous lotteries awarded the program’s cultivation and processing licenses.
The OCM noted the state had received nearly 5,000 medical cannabis business applications, of which 4,075 were dispensary applicants.
Gov. Andy Beshear (D) noted that while there were no more cannabis licenses available, he suggested that more might be awarded if the medical cannabis program were significantly expanded.
“Our hope is that, certainly, there will be additional conditions added later in the future, whereby other Kentuckians will have access to treat chronic or difficult conditions. If that’s the case and/or we see more people qualifying than the initial projection suggested, that will give us an opportunity to expand this medical cannabis program.” — Gov. Andy Beshear (D), in a press release
Kentucky residents can start applying for the medical cannabis program starting January 1, although OCM Executive Director Sam Flynn noted that doctors and nurse practitioners cannot issue the ID cards themselves. “Rather, they write certifications into our electronic monitoring system so when a patient applies for a card – which allows purchase of medical cannabis – their written certification will populate and the patient can click on it to associate the certification with his or her card application,” he said.
“The beginning of the year will mark an important milestone, providing eligible Kentuckians with an additional option to support their health care needs,” said Cabinet for Health and Family Services Secretary Eric Friedlander.
A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of attending the MJ Unpacked conference in St. Louis as my first conference representing Ganjapreneur!
The thing that I love more about the industry than anything is the people. The vast majority of us in the industry, the “pure pot people” as I like to call them, have a deeply meaningful relationship with the plant. This is a great thing to have as a common starting point when meeting people, and MJ Unpacked was no exception. I was able to see some great friends there, and make new ones.
My approach to non-MJBizCon conferences has changed- I now “surf” the conference, going where the tumbleweeds (pot pun always intended) take me. I’ll line up some parties and maybe one meeting or two, but otherwise I just follow wherever things lead me. New conversations lead to new journeys to different get-togethers and meeting new people. Some conversations that really stood out to me amongst the conference were seeing good friends Whitney Conroy (of Phylos), Jesce Horton (of Lowd), David Cunic (of many fingers in many pot pies), Kim Rael (Azuca), Darren Blair (from STIIIZY), and George Jage himself (who has more stories than the Pentagon has secrets) about topics as varied as my licensing of technology in the industry, a brand networking group I am starting, heavy metals in vapes in the industry that have direct airpaths to lungs, Schedule III and Farm Bill possibilities.
I also managed to record a couple of podcast interviews with the one and only Corey Bix, the best and perhaps only opera singer who doubles in the industry.
The good times started on the flight to the show itself, when I noticed someone else on the plane wearing clothing with a cannabis leaf. I asked them if they were heading to MJ Unpacked and they were, and so–although we tried to link up at the airport to split a cab–instead, I had to wait for the pleasure of meeting Ohio’s Lenny Berry at the conference itself.
I also need to mention is that the venue was pretty unique. The show took place in the Union Station hotel, which was converted from a train station into a hotel at some point. The exhibition floor was in a grand terminal. The lobby of the building was in what appeared to previously be the central hub and meeting place. If that wasn’t unique enough, there would be periodically be shows projected onto the ceiling featuring different types of animation, including one where figures on the actual ceiling came alive. Needless to say, these shows were very popular with conference-goers like myself, who would “ooh” and “aah” (perhaps a little more enthusiastically than those that were not there for the conference partaking in the plant)!
MJ Unpacked also offered great programming representative of the marvelous complexity and diversity of the cannabis industry: offering a unique blend of business, cutting-edge science, and vital social justice efforts. While I wasn’t able to attend every session, I enjoyed panels relating to advancing women in cannabis, large and small cultivation considerations, and the innumerable health impacts of the endocannabinoid industry.
For some trivia about what the endocannabinoid system does: it is a cellular communication system that connects all other systems and relates to homeostasis. The endocannabinoid system is intricately related to hibernation in animals, such as bears. Furthermore, the endocannabinoid system is actually responsible for what people have believed to be the post-workout “runner’s high” that purportedly was the product of endorphins.
The women’s panel was both enlightening and infuriating, as the panelists underscored systemic issues that women in the industry face daily. Simply put, the few women in leadership positions—and women overall—have to endure a lot of unnecessary bullsh*t. To the men in cannabis: it’s time to step up. We need to actively organize and leverage male allies to help drive change, whether it’s supporting women in leadership, calling out sexist and discriminatory behavior, or improving minority representation in the industry.
To conclude, it was clear that the team at MJ Unpacked had everything expertly prepared in advance so that the conference ran incredibly smoothly while it was ongoing. It was like a train moving without seeing the wheels turning: pure momentum, which was especially exciting in the context of new opportunities opening up in Missouri. If you’ve never been to an MJ Unpacked, and especially if you are a brand, manufacturer or retailer, I highly recommend the conference and think that you should check out the next one in Atlantic City in 2025.
LOS ANGELES — Award-winning cannabis PR agency Avaans Media announced the return of its 420 PR Sprint program.
The spring 2025 PR Sprints are short-term, all-inclusive public relations packages designed specifically for cannabis brands. This year’s packages have been reimagined to combine the most in-demand media and PR services for comprehensive campaign delivery.
“These packages stand in contrast to our bespoke cannabis PR programs in that they are only offered during certain periods of the year and are only available to cannabis consumer products,” said Tara Coomans, Avaans Media founder.
From seed to spotlight, the cannabis PR Sprints help position cannabis brands in the months leading up to 420 and offer unmatched flexibility and simplicity. Brands can choose from three distinct packages that include:
Category exclusivity
Personalized media list development
National lifestyle media placement
Press release writing and distribution
Influencer engagement
New for 2025, brands exhibiting at the March Hall of Flowers event in Ventura, California, can opt for a package that includes on-site PR and social media influencer coverage.
“The feedback from cannabis brands has been great— it’s a turnkey way to promote the brand ahead of 420,” Coomans said.
The deadline to register for PR Sprints is Jan. 22, 2025, or when category exclusivity limits are reached, whichever comes first.
About Avaans Media: Ranked as the top boutique PR firm in Los Angeles by Clutch.com and recognized as an Inc. Power Partner, Avaans Media has provided cannabis PR services since 2014. The firm’s all-executive team delivers white-glove public relations strategies and services to fast-growing companies across industries including AI, cannabis, drones and consumer products. Founded by Tara Coomans in 2008, Avaans Media is based in Los Angeles.
An Ohio bill to restrict the sale of intoxicating hemp products and make changes to the state’s adult-use cannabis law is unlikely to reach the desk of Gov. Mike DeWine (R) before the state’s legislative session ends this week, The Blade reports. A bill in the Senate – which has the votes to pass the chamber – would ban products like Delta-8 and Delta-9 THC outright, while members of the House have pitched raising the age to purchase the products.
DeWine has said he would back a proposal to limit their sale to licensed cannabis retailers in the state, which have a minimum age of 21, to bridge the gap between the Senate and House proposals. Senate President Matt Huffman (R) told The Blade that he doesn’t “think the House is interested in doing that.”
“I don’t think that should be a surprise to anybody because they weren’t interested in what the governor and the Senate sent over in December a year ago on trying to clear up some of the problems with the marijuana initiative.” — Huffman to The Blade
In addition to setting age restrictions on hemp-derived THC products, the measure would have redirected some of the tax revenue from adult-use cannabis sales, reduced the maximum potency of THC concentrates, and limited the number of plants that could be cultivated in households.
DeWine told The Blade he would support an outright ban on the sale of intoxicating hemp products in the state, which he called “an easy fix” to the access problem to the products by individuals under 21.
Wisconsin Senate Minority Leader Dianne Hesselbein (D) has indicated plans to introduce a medical cannabis legalization bill next session after her party picked up four seats in the chamber, ending a Republican supermajority, Wisconsin Public Radio reports. Hesselbein told WPR that she has already had conversations with the chamber’s Republican leadership about the reforms.
Democrats in the chamber have proposed a bill to legalize both medical and adult-use cannabis in the state but it failed to get support from any Senate Republicans.
“But let’s get medicinal out there, because there are a lot of people that could benefit from that. I think we’ve got to get the conversation started once again.” — Hesselbein to WPR
Hesselbein said she plans to reintroduce legislation from 2022 that would allow individuals to get approved for medical cannabis use through the state Department of Health Services. That bill received only one Democratic sponsor in 2022 and was rejected by a Senate committee, never making it to the floor for full consideration.
Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R) has said he would never support an adult-use legalization bill; however, some Republicans in the legislature, including Senate President Mary Felzkowski – who is a cancer survivor – have expressed support for medical cannabis legalization.
Wisconsin is bordered by three states that have legalized cannabis for adult use – Illinois, Michigan, and Minnesota – but remains a holdout, along with neighboring Idaho on enacting any cannabis reforms.
The West Virginia Supreme Court has upheld a judge’s ruling that prohibiting a man on probation from accessing medical cannabis in the state did not violate his rights, WV News reports. The attorneys for Kyle John Schober, who is serving probation for possession of cocaine with intent to deliver, argued the state’s medical cannabis law superseded the judge’s imposing restrictions on medical cannabis use, while attorneys for the state contended that cannabis use remains illegal federally and probationers, under state law, cannot violate federal law.
In the majority opinion, authored by Justice Haley Bunn, the court determined that “Probation conditions generally focus on goals such as rehabilitation, deterring criminal behavior, and protecting the public. The consequences of violating a probation condition are not based solely on the conduct that caused the violation.”
“That conduct also must violate a parole condition, and the resulting penalty often relates back to the probationer’s underlying crime. … Because any sentence of confinement imposed for violating a probation condition by using or possessing marijuana would not be ‘solely for lawful used of medical cannabis,’ such a condition of probation does not violate the Cannabis Act.” — Bunn, in the opinion, via WV News
Under the plain language of West Virginia law, probationers “may not, during the term of his or her probation, violate any criminal law of this or any other state or of the United States.” The opinion concludes that allowing a probationer to access medical cannabis would violate both federal and West Virginia law.
Officials with the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission (CCC) announced last week that in November, licensed cannabis dispensaries in the state surpassed $7 billion in gross sales since the adult-use market launched in 2018. Medical cannabis sales, meanwhile, have reached $1.4 billion since 2018, which is when the CCC started tracking sales under the medical program.
Regulators noted that the adult-use sales milestone was reached ahead of “Green Wednesday,” the day before Thanksgiving, which is regularly one of the biggest sales days for cannabis retailers. During this year’s Green Wednesday, licensed retailers sold $7.9 million worth of cannabis — nearly $500,000 more than last year — and it was the second-biggest day of sales after this year’s April 20 consumer holiday, officials said.
“These sales figures demonstrate that Massachusetts customers remain loyal to their local cannabis businesses, they trust the Commonwealth’s regulated marketplace and tested products, and they will continue bolstering the longest-running adult-use market along the East Coast. We look forward to tackling ongoing policy matters in 2025 that will further strengthen our market— beyond recent regulatory changes for delivery and microbusiness licensees—and the upcoming implementation of a new social consumption framework.” — CCC Acting Chair Bruce Stebbins, in a statement
Coinciding with the sales surge, the average price of cannabis flower in the state fell to about $4.58 per gram, according to Metrc data. Adult-use cannabis taxes include a 6.25% state sales tax, a 10.75% state excise tax, and up to an additional 3% as a local tax option for cities or towns.
Meanwhile, Massachusetts regulators last month revealed plans to license different types of social cannabis consumption sites including cannabis tasting rooms, cafes, lounges, and even movie theaters.
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) announced on Friday he supports a proposal currently stalled in the House which seeks to regulate intoxicating hemp products similar to the state’s cannabis industry.
The proposal includes new testing requirements for hemp-derived cannabinoid products and rules to prevent product packaging that either mimics other popular brands or could be attractive to children. The legislation would also set an age limit of 21 years old for purchasing intoxicating hemp products and would require such products to be sold only at licensed cannabis dispensaries — the products are currently available in gas stations, smoke shops, and even stand-alone hemp product stores.
“This regulatory gray area has created a loophole that put Illinois consumers of all ages, but particularly children, in danger while an underground market flourished — the exact opposite of what Illinois has done by regulating our cannabis industry. We’re closing that loophole and protecting Illinoisans of all ages by incorporating these products into the regulated and equitable system of dispensaries already in place in the state.” — Gov. Pritzker, in a press release
The Illinois Hemp Business Association said in a statement that while it supports regulations to protect consumers, the proposal is a “full-scale ban” that would wipe out the state’s hemp industry. “The legislation would benefit large marijuana corporations at the expense of Illinois residents and the legitimate small businesses that follow federal law, yet does nothing to curb online sales of hemp products to minors from out-of-state companies,” the group said.
State Rep. La Shawn Ford, a Democrat from Chicago, told The Center Square he would prefer a more regulated approach: “I do not think we want to hurt our economy by regulating hemp companies out of existence. That will only fuel the ugly war on drugs and encourage crime, move consumers to an illegal unsafe market, and drive thriving companies out of Illinois.”
Officials with the Minnesota Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) say the launch of the state’s adult-use cannabis industry was delayed at least several months after officials were forced to postpone — and ultimately decided to abandon — an early licensing lottery for social equity applicants, the Minnesota Star Tribune reports.
The social equity lottery was designed to pre-approve entrepreneurs so they could pursue investment, real estate, and zoning approval ahead of the market’s 2025 launch. The process, however, was delayed last month due to lawsuits filed by applicants who said they had been unfairly denied, which prompted a judge’s order to stay the lottery.
Now, officials have announced the state is abandoning the early licensing process entirely, the report said, and will instead open general cannabis license applications in mid-February, with separate lotteries planned in May or June for both social equity applicants and general applicants.
“This was certainly not an outcome that we were hoping would materialize, and we know that today’s path forward does not provide a perfect solution,” interim OCM director Charlene Briner said in the report.
“A protracted period of uncertainty is an unacceptable outcome that could diminish the opportunity for social equity applicants to succeed in this market, and it also jeopardizes the Office of Cannabis Management’s stated goal of launching the market in 2025. We remain committed to ensuring that qualified applicants have a clear path forward and are given consideration in the next licensing cycle.” — Briner, via the Star Tribune
Briner said the 648 applicants who were originally accepted into the preapproval lottery will automatically move to the next steps in the licensing process with no additional fees.
Minnesota lawmakers passed the state’s cannabis legalization law in 2023 and officials estimated earlier this year the adult-use market would launch in early 2025.
The early lottery would have granted license preapproval to a select number of aspiring cannabis entrepreneurs, giving them the certainty needed to line up investment, commercial real estate and local zoning approval ahead of next year’s market launch. Preapproved cultivators would have been allowed to start growing cannabis now, helping build a supply chain before retailers open.
A Florida judge this week ruled in favor of a paramedic and medical cannabis patient who was fired from the Hillsborough County Fire and Rescue Department in 2019 after testing positive for THC on a random drug test, the Florida Phoenix reports.
Hillsborough County Judge Melissa Polo said Tuesday in the ruling that officials had failed to accommodate for the off-site, off-duty cannabis use by plaintiff Angelo Giambrone — who was a registered cannabis patient holding a state-issued medical card at the time — and in doing so, had violated the Florida Civil Rights Act. The judge established that because Giambrone suffered from insomnia, anxiety, and PTSD, he was considered a disabled individual under state law.
The judge also ruled that Giambrone was entitled to back pay, compensatory damages, and the attorney fees and other costs related to his case, the report said.
Giambrone had worked for the department as a paramedic for over 10 years before his firing in March 2019, and he filed the wrongful termination complaint in June 2020.
“We think this is obviously a correct verdict and hopefully allow marijuana patients to stop being discriminated against when they’re using medicine so they can be functional human beings in life again,” the plaintiff’s attorney Michael Minardi told the Phoenix.
“”He was considered to be a disabled individual under the Florida Civil Rights Act and therefore employers are required to give those employees accommodations just like anybody else currently is for any other prescription medication.” — Minardi, in the report
Meanwhile, Hillsborough County officials said in a statement Wednesday, “Following the recent court ruling involving a former employee of Hillsborough County Fire Rescue and the use of medical marijuana, Hillsborough County is carefully evaluating possible next steps related to the case.”
The Canadian government has missed the legislated deadline to fully implement a program to pardon citizens with cannabis possession records, the CBC reports. Legislation passed in 2022 – four years after cannabis was legalized federally – requires the sequestration of all cannabis possession records in the country, which would prevent them from appearing on background checks; however, that deadline passed last month.
In a statement to the CBC, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) said it is “proceeding with a manual validation and setting records aside and apart; this work requires extensive research and significant effort.”
Annamaria Enenajor, a criminal defense attorney and former director of the advocacy group Cannabis Amnesty, told the CBC that she is not surprised by the delay.
“You can’t just press control-alt-delete and have them all disappear. … There would have to be a coordinated effort on the part of the federal government to work with the provincial government and various law enforcement entities around the country. And I just haven’t seen that happening.” — Enenajor to the CBC
In October, Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc issued a ministerial directive to the RCMP to not disclose simple cannabis possession records during background checks “unless otherwise required by law.”
The government has not indicated when the process will be completed.
