Justice
Los Angeles City Council Advances a Tax Amnesty Program for Licensed Cannabis Businesses
LOS ANGELES – The City Council voted 13-0 to instruct staff to craft a tax amnesty program for more than 500 licensed Cannabis businesses that collectively owe approximately $400 million in back taxes, penalties, and interest. The unanimous decision, with Councilmembers Traci Park and Hugo Soto-Martinez absent, advances a proposal from the Office of Finance ...
New York Bills Advance Low-THC Drinks in Liquor Stores
NEW YORK – A fresh legislative push in New York could soon let customers pick up low-dose Cannabis beverages at their neighborhood liquor store, blending two longstanding retail worlds under tight rules. State Senator Jeremy Cooney (D), who chairs the Senate Subcommittee on Cannabis, introduced Senate Bill S9220 with a companion measure, Assembly Bill A10191, ...
Virginia Moves Closer to Cannabis Sales Launch
RICHMOND – Virginia's General Assembly moved forward with key Cannabis legislation, as committees approved measures to establish a regulated adult-use retail market and create a process for resentencing individuals convicted under older Cannabis laws. The House Appropriations Committee passed HB 642, sponsored by Del. Paul Krizek (D), in a 16-6 vote. The bill sets up ...
Cannabis Tax Deduction Ban Bill Gains 15th Sponsor in Congress
WASHINGTON – A federal proposal to preserve strict tax restrictions on Cannabis businesses has picked up additional support in Congress. The bill that would block state-legal Cannabis businesses from claiming standard federal tax deductions, regardless of whether Cannabis is reclassified under federal drug law, has gained its 15th sponsor across the House and Senate. All ...
Ohio AG Sues Nine Cannabis MSOs for Anti-Competitive Conduct
COLUMBUS - Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost has filed an antitrust lawsuit against nine major multistate Cannabis operators, accusing them of coordinated anti-competitive practices that limit product variety and sustain higher prices in the state's adult-use market. The complaint, lodged in Franklin County Common Pleas Court, names Ascend Wellness, Ayr Wellness, The Cannabist Company, Cresco ...
DOJ Keeps Silent on Cannabis Rescheduling Updates
WASHINGTON – It's been more than 40 days since President Donald Trump signed an executive order calling for the swift rescheduling of Cannabis, yet the Department of Justice (DOJ) remains tight-lipped on any progress. A DOJ spokesperson, Wyn Hornbuckle, Deputy Director of Public Affairs, told yesterday that the department has “no comment or updates” on ...
Virginia Lawmakers Approve Bill to Establish Regulated Cannabis Sales
RICHMOND – The Virginia House General Laws Committee voted 19-2 to approve legislation that would lay the groundwork for legal retail sales of recreational Cannabis, bringing the state closer to filling a longstanding gap in its Cannabis policy. The measure, carried by Del. Paul Krizek (D), builds directly on recommendations from the Joint Commission to ...
Hawaii Lawmakers Advance Voter Measure on Rec Cannabis Legalization
HONOLULU – A group of 15 Hawaii state lawmakers introduced companion bills in the House and Senate, seeking to amend the state constitution and send the question of recreational Cannabis legalization to voters in the November 2026 election. The measures represent the latest effort to shift Hawaii's Cannabis policy from its current medical-only framework to ...
Republican State AGs Challenge Trump’s Cannabis Rescheduling Directive
LOS ANGELES – A coalition of Republican attorneys general from eight states has publicly rejected President Donald Trump's recent Executive Order to reschedule Cannabis under the Controlled Substances Act, citing persistent risks to public safety and insufficient scientific backing for the change. The move highlights deepening rifts within the GOP on drug policy, even as ...
Trump’s Rescheduling Order Ignites State Cannabis Momentum in Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Wyoming
LOS ANGELES – President Donald Trump's directive last week to fast-track Cannabis's rescheduling has handed lawmakers in several conservative-leaning states a timely political opening to advance Cannabis reforms. The executive order, signed on December 18, directs the attorney general to complete the long-pending rulemaking process without delay, acknowledging Cannabis's accepted medical applications and lower risk ...
Michigan Senate Tightens Controls on Intoxicating Hemp Derivatives
LANSING – In a bipartisan push to close regulatory gaps, the Michigan Senate approved a package of bills that would classify most high-potency hemp-derived THC items as Cannabis, folding them into the state's established Cannabis oversight system. The measures, which cleared on 27-8 votes, now head to the Republican-led House for review when lawmakers reconvene ...
Trump Sets Plans for Cannabis Reclassification Executive Order
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump is set to direct federal agencies to reclassify Cannabis from its current Schedule I status to Schedule III under the Controlled Substances Act, a step that would align federal oversight with drugs like certain pain relievers and anabolic steroids. The anticipated executive order would mark a significant adjustment in national ...
CRS Reveals Hemp Ban Enforcement Hurdles
WASHINGTON – The Congressional Research Service (CRS) has highlighted gaps in the federal government's plans to enforce the upcoming ban on intoxicating hemp products, raising questions about the practical reach of the law amid the sector's expansion. The report examines the redefinition of hemp tucked into the November 2025 spending bill signed by President Donald ...
Virginia Panel Outlines Path to Regulated Cannabis Sales in 2026
RICHMOND – Members of Virginia's Joint Commission to Oversee the Transition of the Commonwealth into a Cannabis Retail Market presented a series of amendments to create a licensed system for adult-use Cannabis sales, targeting a launch date of November 1, 2026. The framework, built on prior legislative drafts, removes provisions allowing local governments to block ...
New York State OCM Updates Medical Cannabis Program, Expands Access for Out-of-State Patients
ALBANY – Governor Kathy Hochul signed a bill into law that extends New York's medical Cannabis program to patients certified in other states, marking the most substantial revision to the initiative since its 2016 launch. The measure, Senate Bill 2025-S3294A, also streamlines certification for residents and introduces home cultivation options, aiming to cut administrative barriers ...
Florida Takes Action to Advance Adult-Use Cannabis Ballot Measure, Lawsuit Ends Delay
TALLAHASSEE – Florida election officials cleared a procedural roadblock for a proposed constitutional amendment to legalize recreational Cannabis, submitting the measure to the state attorney general's office just weeks after advocates sued over perceived delays in the review process. The move sets the stage for scrutiny by the Florida Supreme Court on the ballot language's ...
Trump Signs Funding Measure Ending Historic 43-Day Government Shutdown, Bans Hemp-Derived THC Products
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump signed a bipartisan spending package that reopens the federal government after a 43-day impasse, marking the longest such closure in American history. Tucked into the legislation, however, are new limits on hemp-derived products that effectively prohibit most intoxicating varieties, reshaping a sector that has grown into a $28 billion market ...
Senate Spending Package Eyes Hemp THC Crackdown as Shutdown Continues, Trump Backs Restrictions
WASHINGTON – A bipartisan spending package drafted to end the nation's longest government shutdown now includes a provision that would sharply curtail sales of hemp-derived THC products, garnering White House endorsement and fierce opposition from industry advocates. The measure, advanced and failed by the Senate on a 76-24 vote Monday, sets a federal cap of ...
Alcohol Giants Press Congress to Outlaw Intoxicating Hemp Derivatives
WASHINGTON – In a letter sent Tuesday, a coalition of leading alcohol trade groups urged congressional leaders to suspend sales of intoxicating hemp-derived products until federal rules can be established, warning that the market's unchecked growth endangers consumers and violates existing law. The American Distilled Spirits Alliance, Beer Institute, Distilled Spirits Council of the United ...
California Governor Approves Fast Track for Cannabis and Psychedelics Studies
LOS ANGELES – Governor Gavin Newsom (D) signed Assembly Bill 1103 into law on Friday, October 10, clearing hurdles for researchers studying Cannabis and psychedelics in the state. The measure targets delays in approving projects on controlled substances, with a focus on treatments for veterans facing opioid addiction, traumatic brain injuries (TBI), and post-traumatic stress ...
Ohio Governor Enacts Halt on Sales of Hemp-Derived THC Products
COLUMBUS – Ohio Governor Mike DeWine issued an executive order on October 8, 2025, directing retailers to pull intoxicating hemp products from shelves by next Tuesday, marking a sharp intervention in the state's unregulated market for THC-infused edibles and drinks. The measure, which takes effect at 12:01 am on October 14, classifies these items as ...
Michigan Cannabis Trade Group Challenges New 24% Wholesale Tax in Court
LANSING – Yesterday, hours after Gov. Gretchen Whitmer put her signature on Michigan's latest state budget, the Michigan Cannabis Industry Association moved swiftly to court, filing suit to block a fresh 24% excise tax on wholesale Cannabis transfers. The association, which counts more than 400 [!] licensed operators among its members, claims the levy sidesteps ...
California Enacts Law Requiring Intoxicating Hemp Sales Through Licensed Cannabis Outlets
LOS ANGELES – Governor Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 8 into law on Thursday, directing intoxicating hemp-derived products into California's tightly controlled Cannabis distribution system and barring their sale elsewhere. The measure addresses gaps in oversight that have allowed unregulated hemp items to proliferate, often evading the testing and age restrictions applied to adult-use Cannabis. ...
California Reinstates 15% Cannabis Excise Tax Through 2028
LOS ANGELES – A measure signed by Governor Gavin Newsom last month took effect on Wednesday, dialing back California's Cannabis excise tax to 15% and holding it steady at that level until at least the end of 2028. The change, embedded in Assembly Bill 564, undoes a planned jump to 19% that had been set ...
Ex-Curaleaf Executive Files Suit Alleging Ignored Warnings on Inventory Shortfalls at Illinois Facility
LOS ANGELES – A former compliance director for Curaleaf Holdings Inc. has filed a federal lawsuit accusing the Cannabis MSO of overlooking repeated alerts about missing inventory and unlicensed pesticide applications at its Illinois cultivation site, prompting state regulators to suspect widespread product diversion. Matthew Kalmick, who oversaw compliance in the central U.S. until his ...
