Insights

LOS ANGELES- Glass House Brands Inc. has retracted its defamation lawsuit against Catalyst Cannabis Co., citing concerns over Catalyst's financial viability and the potential harassment of its customers. This withdrawal marks a significant turn in the legal conflict between the two cannabis companies. Background of the Dispute The dispute originated from allegations by Catalyst and ...

LOS ANGELES- The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) released its 2024 National Drug Threat Assessment (NDTA) on May 9, providing an in-depth analysis of illegal drug and trafficking trends in the United States. DEA Administrator Anne Milgram emphasized the evolving threats to public safety and national security, highlighting a shift from plant-based drugs like heroin and ...

LOS ANGELES- As Ohio prepares for the launch of its adult-use cannabis program, several dozen municipalities have implemented temporary bans on adult-use cannabis businesses. Research from Ohio State University, summarized by Cleveland.com, indicates that as of March 31, at least 47 municipalities had opted to prohibit adult-use cannabis operations enabled by the state legalization law ...

Washington, DC (NORML): Taxes derived from the licensed sale of state-regulated cannabis products totaled more than $4 billion in 2023, according to an analysis provided by the Marijuana Policy Project. MPP’s estimates do not include revenues derived from the sale of medical cannabis products or from the collection of state-imposed regulatory fees. Cannabis sales generated the greatest amount ...

LOS ANGELES- The Texas Senate will hold a public hearing on May 29 to discuss a potential ban on delta-8 and delta-9 THC products. These products have been widely available in Texas since 2019, following a decision that allowed the sale of hemp products containing these compounds. Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has called for ...

LOS ANGELES- Chris Alexander, the Executive Director of New York's Office of Cannabis Management (OCM), is set to resign at the end of his three-year term in September, as announced by Governor Kathy Hochul. The announcement, made during a news conference that Alexander did not attend, comes at a time when New York is poised ...

LOS ANGELES- In Idaho, one of the few states without any legal cannabis framework, the advocacy group Kind Idaho is making strides to place a medical cannabis initiative on the 2024 ballot. The organization faces the daunting task of collecting approximately 63,000 signatures from registered voters by April 14 of the next year to qualify. ...

LOS ANGELES- The Arizona Department of Health Services has issued a recall for a product known as Onion Bhaji after laboratory tests detected possible contamination with Aspergillus, a fungus known to cause allergic reactions or infections. The state health department is urging consumers who have purchased this product to dispose of it immediately and seek ...

LOS ANGELES- The Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR) has issued a cease and desist order to Bay State Extracts, a state-licensed hemp business, directing it to stop the production and sale of products containing the cannabinoid THCV. The state agency declared that such products are illegal under current state law. The CEO of Bay ...

LOS ANGELES- The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has postponed a crucial administrative hearing originally scheduled for June on the proposed ban of two psychedelic compounds, 2,5-dimethoxy-4-iodoamphetamine (DOI) and 2,5-dimethoxy-4-chloroamphetamine (DOC). This decision follows a legal challenge by Panacea Plant Sciences which contests the constitutionality of using administrative law judges in DEA's rulemaking process. The challenge, ...

LOS ANGELES- In a landmark policy shift, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) has announced plans to reclassify cannabis from a Schedule I to a Schedule III controlled substance, a category that includes less restricted drugs. This change reflects a growing recognition of the potential medicinal benefits of cannabis, historically used for pain relief and ...

LOS ANGELES- South Dakotans for Better Marijuana Laws (SDBML), a cannabis advocacy group, has recently submitted 29,030 signatures to South Dakota's Secretary of State in a bid to get an adult-use cannabis initiative on the November ballot. The Secretary of State's office, headed by Monae Johnson, must verify at least 17,508 of these signatures by ...

LOS ANGELES -The Vermont legislature has recently passed a measure that aims to address the state's overdose crisis by establishing an overdose prevention center in Burlington. The Senate approved the proposal on May 2 with a 21 to 8 vote, and the House followed suit on Tuesday with a 96 to 35 vote. The measure, ...

LOS ANGELES- For the first time, a Senate committee in New Hampshire has approved a cannabis legalization bill, marking a significant milestone in the state's legislative history. House Bill 1633, which recently passed the Senate Judiciary Committee by a narrow 3-2 vote, previously garnered strong support in the House of Representatives with a 239 to ...

LOS ANGELES- The Illinois state government has introduced an additional 35 social equity cannabis retail licenses to its recreational market, a move announced late last week, with expectations to issue another 13 in the forthcoming weeks. This expansion brings the total number of dispensaries in Illinois to 202, which includes 92 social equity establishments, as ...

LOS ANGELES- The rapid expansion of the cannabis industry in North America has shown signs of cooling in the first quarter of 2024, with a noticeable decline in the number of both active licenses and new applicants in the U.S. and Canada. This slowdown reflects a broader trend of market saturation and economic challenges impacting ...

LOS ANGELES- Minnesota lawmakers are evaluating a measure to issue some cannabis cultivation licenses prematurely to circumvent delays in the upcoming adult-use cannabis program. The move, reported by the Star Tribune, aims to utilize existing medical cannabis regulations to facilitate early cultivation by select companies, potentially prior to 2025. This initiative targets preempting bottlenecks anticipated ...

LOS ANGELES- This week, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) made a significant policy shift by reclassifying cannabis under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), moving it from Schedule I to Schedule III, alongside drugs like Tylenol with codeine and testosterone. This decision, reported by the Associated Press and based on information from unnamed sources, is seen ...

LOS ANGELES- A recent poll by Morning Consult indicates that 64% of Americans support allowing cannabis businesses access to traditional banking services, suggesting such measures could enhance public safety. The poll aligns with growing legislative momentum behind the Secure and Fair Enforcement (SAFER) Banking Act, which aims to integrate legal cannabis businesses into the mainstream ...

LOS ANGELES- Despite the potential federal reclassification of cannabis to Schedule III under the Controlled Substances Act, significant banking hurdles remain for state-legal cannabis companies. The American Bankers Association (ABA) has highlighted that the change in scheduling will not alleviate the legal barriers that prevent these businesses from accessing traditional financial services. The ABA has ...

Lophos Holdings Inc.  — Lophos Holdings Inc., through its subsidiary Lophos Pharmaceuticals Corp., announces the successful planting of 3,000 peyote seeds, significantly surpassing its initial cultivation target of 1,000 plants for the year 2024. This expansion is part of the company's strategic response to the growing demand for natural psychedelics in therapeutic applications. Strategic Expansion ...

LOS ANGELES- In the evolving landscape of U.S. cannabis legislation, three states—Nebraska, Idaho, and Arkansas—are poised to make significant strides. Nebraska and Idaho are looking to legalize medical cannabis, while Arkansas aims to expand its existing medical cannabis program. Arkansas Arkansas is set to consider an initiative that would significantly broaden its medical cannabis program, ...

LOS ANGELES- California's legislative efforts to allow cannabis cafés took a significant step forward as Assembly Bill 1775, championed by Representative Matt Haney (D), passed through a second Assembly committee. The bill received favorable votes in the Committee on Governmental Organization by a margin of 13 to 2, following an earlier approval from the Committee ...

LOS ANGLES- A recent study conducted by German researchers has found that tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) may significantly extend the survival time of ambulatory palliative patients. Published in the peer-reviewed journal Medical Cannabis and Cannabinoids, the study explores the effects of THC on patients who typically receive it to improve sleep quality, appetite, and to reduce anxiety, ...

LOS ANGELES- The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has requested a federal appeals court to refuse Dr. Sunil Aggarwal's application to use psilocybin for terminally ill patients, citing the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) which does not allow exemptions under Right to Try laws. Dr. Aggarwal, who leads the Advanced Integrative Medical Science Institute in Seattle, ...