Justice

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 ...

August 19th, 2025|

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 ...

August 18th, 2025|

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 ...

August 11th, 2025|

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 ...

August 11th, 2025|

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 ...

August 6th, 2025|

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 ...

July 28th, 2025|

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 ...

July 27th, 2025|

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 ...

July 24th, 2025|

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 ...

July 24th, 2025|

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 ...

July 18th, 2025|

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 ...

July 18th, 2025|

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 ...

July 17th, 2025|

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 ...

July 16th, 2025|

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 ...

July 15th, 2025|

McConnell Seeks to Close 2018 Hemp “Loophole” in Senate Funding Bill

LOS ANGELES- Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell is advancing a provision in the FY 2026 agriculture appropriations bill aimed at revising the federal hemp definition to bar products containing any “quantifiable” amount of THC. The action responds to what McConnell described as an unintended loophole from the 2018 Farm Bill, passed with his support, which legalized ...

July 15th, 2025|

Challenges Emerge Over Kentucky’s Medical Cannabis License Lottery

LOS ANGELES- A coalition of Kentucky-based businesses has filed legal proceedings challenging the fairness and constitutionality of the state’s April 2024 medical cannabis license lottery. The lawsuit, lodged in Jefferson Circuit Court on June 27, argues that the Kentucky General Assembly improperly delegated authority to the Cabinet for Health and Family Services and its Office ...

July 14th, 2025|

New Lawsuit Challenges Lottery Process for Kentucky Medical Cannabis Licenses

LOS ANGELES- A group of Kentucky-based applicants has filed a lawsuit arguing that the state’s lottery system for awarding medical cannabis licenses is unconstitutional and unfairly structured. The suit, filed on June 27 in Jefferson Circuit Court, names the Commonwealth of Kentucky and Sam Flynn, former executive director of the state’s Office of Medical Cannabis ...

July 10th, 2025|

Dallas Halts Enforcement of Voter‑Approved Cannabis Depenalization Charter

LOS ANGELES- Dallas city officials have suspended the enforcement of a charter amendment approved by 67 percent of voters in November, which decriminalized possession of up to four ounces of cannabis and prohibited arrests based solely on its odor. The pause follows a recent ruling by the 15th Court of Appeals in Austin that temporarily blocked ...

July 9th, 2025|

Cannabis Reform Stalls, Former Republican Calls for Action

LOS ANGELES - Former Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), renowned for his decades-long advocacy for cannabis reform, is sounding the alarm over the Trump administration’s failure to advance federal cannabis policy. The retired congressman, who co-founded the Congressional Cannabis Caucus, expressed deep frustration at the stalled progress since leaving Congress last session. “I’m more than a ...

July 8th, 2025|

SAFER Banking Act Frozen as Lawmakers Tackle War and Budget Issues

LOS ANGELES – The Secure and Fair Enforcement Regulation (SAFER) Banking Act, a bipartisan effort to grant state-legal cannabis businesses access to traditional banking services, remains mired in political gridlock, overshadowed by competing legislative priorities. Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR), a lead sponsor of the bill, recently acknowledged that despite his efforts to push the legislation ...

July 7th, 2025|

Delaware Announced the Launch Date for Legal Cannabis Sales

LOS ANGELES – The First State is about to make history as recreational marijuana sales launch on August 1, 2025, transforming the state’s cannabis scene and sparking excitement from Wilmington to Rehoboth Beach. Starting this summer, adults 21 and older can walk into one of 13 licensed dispensaries, flash a valid ID, and legally purchase ...

July 7th, 2025|

California’s Cannabis Industry Faces Meltdown as New Tax Hike Begins

LOS ANGELES – California’s legal cannabis industry is sounding the alarm as a significant excise tax increase, which took effect on July 1, 2025, threatens to cripple an already struggling market. The excise tax on legal cannabis has risen from 15% to 19%, a move that industry leaders, including growers, dispensary owners, and advocates, warn ...

July 7th, 2025|

Texas Broadens Medical Cannabis Access Amid THC Policy Shift

LOS ANGELES- Texas has enacted House Bill 46, expanding its Compassionate Use Program for medical cannabis. The law, effective September 1, adds qualifying conditions such as chronic pain, Crohn’s disease and traumatic brain injury. It raises the per‑dose THC limit from 1 percent by weight to 10 mg (max 1 g per package), allows prescribed inhalers and vaporizers, and increases the ...

July 3rd, 2025|

Mike Tyson Urges Trump to Act on Cannabis Reform

LOS ANGELES- Boxing legend Mike Tyson, alongside athletes including Kevin Durant and Dez Bryant, has urged former President Donald Trump to pursue federal cannabis reform after accusing President Joe Biden of failing to deliver on earlier promises. Tyson described cannabis as a "medicine" essential to his well‑being and criticized its Schedule I classification as “just ...

July 1st, 2025|

California Lawmakers Omit Cannabis Tax Relief from 2025 Budget

LOS ANGELES- California legislators did not include a freeze on the planned cannabis excise tax increase in the state’s 2025–26 budget, declining last-minute proposals to maintain the current 15% rate. The absence of this relief ensures the scheduled rise to 19% will take effect on July 1, 2025. This decision follows negotiations in which Governor Gavin Newsom ...

June 30th, 2025|
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