Justice
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 ...
Trump’s CBD Endorsement for Medicare Sparks Rally in Cannabis Equities
LOS ANGELES – Shares in Cannabis companies climbed more than 20% on Monday, propelled by President Donald Trump's weekend social media post backing the inclusion of cannabidiol in Medicare coverage for older Americans. The AdvisorShares Pure US Cannabis ETF (MSOS), a bellwether for the sector with assets approaching $750 million, led the advance, posting a ...
Michigan House Approves 24% Tax on Wholesale Cannabis Sales for Road Repairs
LANSING – In a swift move to head off a potential state government shutdown, the Michigan House of Representatives passed legislation imposing a 24% excise tax on wholesale Cannabis transactions, directing the proceeds toward long-overdue road and bridge maintenance. The measure, part of a broader $33 billion budget agreement between lawmakers and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, ...
Cannabis Stocks Surge After Trump Champions CBD for Seniors — But Is It Another False Dawn?
LOS ANGELES- Cannabis and hemp company shares surged Monday after former President Donald Trump publicly endorsed cannabidiol (CBD) as a potential game changer for senior healthcare. His remarks, shared on Truth Social, called for CBD to be integrated into the healthcare system and even covered under Medicare — sparking renewed optimism for federal reform. But ...
California Lawmakers Back Pause on Recent Cannabis Tax Hike
LOS ANGELES – The California Senate approved Assembly Bill 564, a measure that would roll back a recent jump in the state's Cannabis excise tax for five years, sending it back to the Assembly for concurrence on amendments. The vote, 38 to 1, comes as the legal Cannabis sector grapples with declining sales and heavy ...
NY Regulators Delay Hearing in Bid for Settlement with Cannabis Dispensary Owners
NEW YORK – New York state Cannabis regulators have postponed a key hearing on a disputed proximity rule, aiming to negotiate a resolution with affected dispensary operators. The move comes after a lawsuit from business owners who argue that a recent policy shift threatens their investments and operations. The controversy stems from a July correction ...
Jushi Sues Pennsylvania Retailers Over Unregulated Hemp-Derived THC Products
PHILADELPHIA – Jushi Holdings Inc. has initiated legal action against 10 hemp companies in Pennsylvania, alleging they sell intoxicating products disguised as legal hemp that violate state laws and erode profits for licensed operators. The complaint, lodged on August 27, in Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas, targets wholesalers and retailers accused of flooding the market ...
Missouri Activists Gird Up for 2026 Ballot Measure to Unify Hemp and Cannabis Regulations
LOS ANGELES – Missouri Cannabis advocates, led by hemp business owners, plan to submit a ballot initiative in the coming days that would combine regulations for hemp and Cannabis products under a single framework for the 2026 election. The proposal seeks to establish equal treatment between the two sectors by overhauling the state's licensing process, ...
Cannabis Companies Secure Extension in Federal Prohibition Case
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Supreme Court has extended the deadline for a group of Cannabis businesses to file a petition seeking review of their case against the Justice Department, which aims to strike down the federal ban on Cannabis under the Controlled Substances Act. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson issued the order last Friday, moving the ...
NYC Dispensaries Seek Justice in Court Over Schools Proximity Blunder
NEW YORK – A coalition of licensed Cannabis dispensaries filed suit against New York regulators on Friday, claiming a state error in enforcing school buffer zones threatens their operations and could force closures or costly moves. The action, brought in State Supreme Court, stems from the Office of Cannabis Management's recent admission that it misapplied ...
BREAKING: Trump Signals Possible Cannabis Reclassification Within Weeks
LOS ANGELES- President Donald Trump said Monday that his administration is actively considering shifting Cannabis to a lower-risk category under federal law — a move that could have sweeping implications for the industry. Speaking at a White House press briefing, Trump described the process as still in its early stages but suggested a decision could ...
Trump Considers Shift in Federal Cannabis Rescheduling
LOS ANGELES – President Donald Trump is exploring a move to reclassify Cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III under federal law, according to a report from The Wall Street Journal. The potential policy shift, discussed at a fundraiser earlier this month at his Bedminster, New Jersey, golf club, could reshape regulations for the multibillion-dollar ...
Senate Pushes for Cannabis and Psychedelics Research Amid Schedule I Restrictions
WASHIGTON D.C. – The Senate Appropriations Committee approved a substantial spending bill addressing Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (LaborHHS), including provisions that could reshape the scope of research into Schedule I substances like Cannabis and Psychedelics. The legislation, now set for the Senate floor, reflects the growing bipartisan interest in overcoming ...
Kentucky Governor Urges Trump to Honor Campaign Promise on Cannabis Rescheduling
FRANKFORT – Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear (D) has stepped into the national spotlight, urging President Donald Trump to oppose congressional efforts that would halt the federal rescheduling of cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA). In a letter sent to Trump, Beshear invoked the president’s own campaign pledge to ...
The DEA’s Time‑Warp Appointment: Terrance Cole and the Revival of “Reefer Madness”
WASHINGTON, D.C. –Terrance Cole, the newly confirmed Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Administrator, brings a worldview rooted in 1980s-era drug hysteria—one that dismisses decades of research, economic gains from cannabis legalization, and evolving public opinion. His alarmist rhetoric, linking cannabis to autism, stunted brain growth, and youth suicide, threatens to stall the long-awaited, evidence-based rescheduling ...
Cannabis Rescheduling Hits Pause as DEA Shifts Gears
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The federal cannabis rescheduling saga, already a slow-burning drama, took a sharp turn this week as Chief Administrative Law Judge John J. Mulrooney announced his retirement, effective August 1, 2025. The exit, coming just one day after the Senate confirmed Terrance Cole as the new Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) administrator, has left ...
Texas Hemp Ban Showdown or Reefer Madness 2.0?
AUSTIN – The Texas Senate Committee on State Affairs ignited a fiery debate on Tuesday, July 22, 2025, during the first hearing of a special legislative session called by Governor Greg Abbott to address the regulation of hemp-derived products. The committee unanimously advanced Senate Bill 5 (S.B. 5), a near replica of the Senate Bill ...
Rep. Salud Carbajal Responds to DHS Claims After ICE Raid at Cannabis Farm
LOS ANGELES- U.S. Representative Salud Carbajal (D‑CA‑24) is facing criticism following a July 10 ICE raid at two Glass House Farms cannabis cultivation sites in Carpinteria and Camarillo, California. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) alleges Carbajal “doxxed” an ICE public affairs officer by publicly displaying the agent’s business card to protesters, leading to injuries ...
Pennsylvania Senators Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Legalize Recreational Cannabis
LOS ANGELES- Pennsylvania lawmakers today announced the introduction of two parallel bipartisan bills aimed at legalizing adult-use recreational cannabis. The effort builds on mounting momentum amid state budget pressures and growing public support. In the Senate, Republican Sen. Dan Laughlin (R‑49) and Democratic Sen. Sharif Street (D‑3) unveiled Senate Bill 120 on July 10. The legislation would permit adults ...
California Farmworker Dies Following Greenhouse Fall During Chaotic ICE Raid
LOS ANGELES- A 57‑year‑old farmworker, identified as Jaime Alanis Garcia, has died from injuries sustained after falling approximately 30 feet from a greenhouse roof during a July 10 ICE-led raid at a Glass House Farms cannabis facility in Camarillo, California — the first fatality linked to the Trump administration’s recent immigration enforcement efforts. The raid targeted two ...
Americans Overwhelmingly Oppose Federal Cannabis Prohibition
LOS ANGELES- A recent survey by the Pew Research Center reveals that just 12 percent of U.S. adults support a federal prohibition on cannabis, with the remaining 88 percent favoring legalization in some form—either solely for medical use or both medical and recreational purposes. The January–February 2025 poll, involving more than 5,000 American adults, found ...
Republican Lawmakers Move to Block Cannabis Rescheduling, Undermining Federal Reform Efforts
WASHINGTON, D.C.. Just as the Biden administration’s long-awaited cannabis rescheduling effort appeared to be gaining traction, Republicans in the House Appropriations Committee have moved to shut it down—using their control of a key budget bill to insert language that would block the Department of Justice from changing cannabis’s federal classification. Tucked into the draft of ...
