News
DEA Opens Federal Registration Portal for Medical Cannabis Dispensaries
WASHINGTON – The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is set to launch its new online portal on Wednesday, 29 April at 9:00 AM EST, facilitating the application process for state-licensed medical Cannabis dispensaries seeking federal registration following the recent move to place certain Cannabis products into Schedule III under the Controlled Substances Act. The portal, run ...
Blind Spot: Cannabis Industry Falls Short on Communications
NEW YORK – Legal Cannabis brought in $38.5 billion in revenue in 2024. Whitney Economics estimated that figure to drop to between $29.1 billion and $29.6 billion in 2025, due to falling prices, tax pressures, and stronger competition. Sales are then forecast to recover and reach $47 billion in 2026. Despite this scale, a new ...
Cannabis 3.0 — The Body Was Designed to Heal
LOS ANGELES- The cannabis industry is entering a new phase. The first era—Cannabis 1.0—was defined by prohibition and the fight for legalization. Cannabis 2.0 followed, driven by commercialization: brands, retail expansion, and the rapid scaling of products into consumer markets. What comes next is fundamentally different. Cannabis 3.0 is not about access or scale. It ...
Week in Review: Cannabis & Psychedelics Industry Highlights
LOS ANGELES – Two weeks that rewrote the rules. That is the most accurate way to characterize what the U.S. Сannabis and Psychedelics industries have experienced heading into the final days of April 2026. Federal policy shifted in ways operators spent decades petitioning for. Consumer product categories reshuffled. Capital crossed borders. Cannabis spread into areas ...
IRS and Treasury Move to Clarify Cannabis Tax Rules
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of the Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service made an announcement, confirming they will issue formal guidance to address the federal tax consequences of a Department of Justice order that immediately reclassified certain Cannabis products under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA). The scope of this reclassification is deliberate and narrow. ...
BREAKING: DOJ Signs Cannabis into Schedule III
WASHINGTON – Today, the federal government took its most consequential step on Cannabis policy in decades, as Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche formally signed an order moving state-licensed medical Cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III under the Controlled Substances Act, a reclassification that carries significant financial and regulatory consequences for thousands of operators across ...
Safe Harbor Targets Retirement Gap in Cannabis Workforce
DENVER – Safe Harbor Financial is extending its reach deeper into workforce benefits, introducing a pooled employer 401(k) plan designed for Cannabis operators that have long struggled to access conventional retirement services. The new offering, the Safe Harbor Retirement Plan, aims to provide compliant, stable retirement options to state-legal Cannabis businesses and affiliated companies, a ...
AtaiBeckley Reports Expanded Phase 2a Data for EMP-01 in Social Anxiety Disorder
NEW YORK – AtaiBeckley Inc., the clinical-stage biopharmaceutical firm born from the November merger of atai Life Sciences and Beckley Psytech, released additional results from its exploratory Phase 2a trial of EMP-01, an oral formulation of R-MDMA, in adults with moderate to severe social anxiety disorder (SAD). The study, conducted at seven sites in the ...
Industrial Hemp Market to Exceed $7B by 2031, Driven by Construction and Wellness
LOS ANGELES – The global industrial hemp market is on track to nearly double in value over the next five years, according to the latest report by Mordor Intelligence that projects the market to grow from $3.57 billion in 2026 to $7.95 billion by 2031, reflecting a CAGR of 17.36%. That trajectory places industrial hemp ...
Oklahoma Law Review Claims 280E No Longer Applies Post-Cannabis Rescheduling
TULSA – A forthcoming article in the Oklahoma Law Review contends that federal rescheduling of Cannabis to Schedule III would place the plant outside the reach of Internal Revenue Code Section 280E, potentially ending the government’s ability to apply the provision to Cannabis businesses, including collection efforts tied to prior years. The analysis, written by ...
LEEF Brands Reaches Deal to Acquire Himalaya Vapor
VANCOUVER – LEEF Brands Inc. entered into an agreement and plan of merger to acquire Standard Holdings Inc. the parent company of Himalaya Vapor, a California concentrates producer known for its full-spectrum cartridges and live resin products. The transaction values the deal at roughly $2.5 million in stock and warrants. Under the agreement, LEEF will ...
ATACH Publishes Report on Updated Hemp Regulations
WASHINGTON – Federal lawmakers moved last year to shut down a major loophole in hemp rules, and the American Trade Association for Cannabis and Hemp (ATACH) has now delivered a clear-eyed examination outlining the regulatory shifts now facing hemp-derived products and what those changes mean for producers, processors, and retailers nationwide. The 2026 Hemp Intoxicants ...
Seed Junky Genetics Announces MINNTZ Return
LOS ANGELES – JBeezy, the founder of Seed Junky Genetics, confirmed that the MINNTZ® brand is officially returning as an independent line following a new agreement with Michigan-based HNG Solutions, LLC. The partnership will put more than 20 strains into dispensaries in California, Michigan, New Mexico, and Florida. The move, announced today on 4/20, gives ...
President Trump Signs EO to Accelerate Psychedelic Research and Access
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing federal agencies to speed up reviews of certain psychedelic compounds and open new pathways for patient access as treatments for serious mental health disorders like severe depression, PTSD, and addictions that resist standard therapies. The order, formally titled “Accelerating Medical Treatments for Serious Mental Illness,” ...
Trump Fast Tracks Psychedelic Research
WASHINGTON D.C- President Donald Trump has signed a sweeping executive order to accelerate psychedelic research and expand patient access across the United States—marking one of the most significant federal policy shifts the sector has seen to date. First reported by Psychedelic Alpha, the order directs federal agencies to reduce regulatory barriers, deploy funding, and compress ...
Decibel Reports Q4 and FY 2025 Financial Results
CALGARY – Decibel Cannabis Company Inc. posted audited results for the fourth quarter and full year ended December 31, 2025, showing overall revenue growth driven largely by its international operations. Net revenue for the year reached $113 million, up 22% from $92.5 million in 2024. International sales jumped to $24.2 million, a 484% increase. Adjusted ...
Five Years After Legalization, Virginia Still Isn’t Ready—But It’s Getting Closer
Virginia’s Cannabis market has been “legal” on paper for years. In practice, it’s been stuck in neutral—possession allowed, but no regulated retail system to match it. That may finally be shifting. The latest move out of Richmond Abigail Spanberger is stepping in with a set of proposed amendments that reshape how—and when—Virginia’s long-delayed Cannabis sales ...
Tilray Acquires Lyphe Group, Expands UK Medical Cannabis Reach
LONDON – Tilray Brands Inc. has acquired the Lyphe Group, a British operator of online medical Cannabis clinics and a digital pharmacy platform. The deal adds a network that has treated more than 16,000 patients and dispensed roughly 150,000 units of medical Cannabis products in the United Kingdom. Lyphe’s services include virtual consultations with specialists ...
Compass Pathways Opens U.S. Grant Program for Psychedelic Therapy Training
NEW YORK – Compass Pathways PLC ADR announced a new grant program inviting U.S.-based organizations to develop training content for healthcare providers who could deliver its investigational COMP360 psilocybin treatment if regulators approve it. The London-based biotechnology company, which maintains offices in New York, said the grants will support the creation of structured materials focused ...
Pre-Rolls Outpace Flower as Top U.S. Cannabis Category by Unit Sales
LOS ANGELES – Pre-rolled Cannabis products became the leading category in the United States by the number of units sold in 2025, according to data released in the State of the Pre-Roll Market 2026 report from Custom Cones USA. The category generated $3.6 billion in revenue and moved 383.2 million units last year, capturing 15.9% ...
German Pharmacies Offer Cannabis Cheaper Than Darknet
BERLIN – Cannabis flower available by prescription through German pharmacies has for the first time undercut prices on the darknet, according to data released by EKOCAN as part of the official evaluation of the country’s partial Сannabis legalization. The shift, documented in the second interim report of the EKOCAN evaluation project, marks a milestone in ...
Cannara Biotech Reports Q2 2026 Financial Results
MONTREAL – Cannara Biotech Inc. posted its fiscal second-quarter results, recording higher revenues and a sharp improvement in cash generation as the Quebec-based producer continued to pick up ground in a flat national Cannabis market. For the three months ended February 28, the company reported total net revenues of $27.2 million, a 2% increase from ...
Aurora Cannabis Acquires Safari Flower to Expand International EU-GMP Capacity
EDMONTON – Aurora Cannabis Inc. announced that it has acquired Safari Flower Co., an established white-label, EU-GMP-certified Cannabis cultivator and manufacturer based in Ontario. Aurora purchased 100% of the shares of 9869247 Canada Limited, operating as Safari Flower Co., for aggregate consideration valued at $26.5 million, subject to customary adjustments. The payment included $15 million ...
Relm Launches Kidnap & Ransom Insurance for Cannabis Businesses
HAMILTON – Bermuda-based Relm Insurance announced a new Kidnap and Ransom (K&R) insurance product aimed at executives and operators in the Cannabis sector, alongside those in digital assets. The policy addresses physical threats that have grown more common in cash-intensive and high-visibility industries. Coverage includes kidnapping, extortion, malicious detention, disappearance, express or virtual kidnapping, hijacking, ...
Glass House and Vireo Combine California Retail Ops to Form New JV
LONG BEACH – Glass House Brands Inc. and Vireo Growth Inc. announced that they will combine their California dispensary operations into a 50/50 joint venture aimed at creating one of the state’s largest Cannabis retail networks. The new entity will draw together 11 retail locations operated by Glass House, which include stores under the Farmacy, ...
