Legal Affairs
Virginia Unveils Draft Rules for Adult-Use Cannabis Market
RICHMOND – The Virginia Cannabis Control Authority (CCA) released an 80-plus-page draft regulatory framework for the state's forthcoming adult-use market – the first detailed set of proposed rules since the General Assembly authorized commercial sales ...
Metrc Rolls Out Compliance Events for New York Cannabis Operators
NEW YORK – Track-and-trace provider Metrc announced a pair of statewide User Exchange events in New York, one in New York City on September 14 and another in Syracuse on September 16, designed to help ...
Eli Lilly Completes Acquisition of AtaiBeckley
INDIANAPOLIS – Eli Lilly & Co. has closed its acquisition of AtaiBeckley Inc., the New York-based biopharmaceutical company developing psychedelic-derived therapies for treatment-resistant mental health conditions. The transaction cleared its final U.S. regulatory checkpoint when ...
High Times Cannabis Cup Debuts in Montana
HELENA – A competition that helped define American Cannabis culture is coming to a new state. Big Sky Country is preparing for its first-ever High Times Cannabis Cup. The event is set for Saturday, September ...
Canada Is Now the World’s Largest Cannabis Market
OTTAWA – Supported by 3,420 licensed stores and roughly 7.1 million past-year consumers, Canada's legal industry generated C$5.42 billion (approx. US$3.98 billion) in retail sales in 2025, making it the world's largest federally-legal Cannabis market ...
DEA MJ Rescheduling Transcript Goes Public
WASHINGTON – The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) released the complete, corrected transcript from its 11-day marijuana rescheduling hearing, giving the public its first detailed account of the testimony that will guide DEA Chief Administrative Law ...
JARS Cannabis Acquires Sonoran Roots, Claiming Arizona’s Retail Top Spot
PHOENIX – JARS Cannabis and Sonoran Roots have signed a definitive agreement under which JARS will acquire Sonoran Roots, creating Arizona's largest Cannabis retail network – 27 dispensary locations operating under a single platform. The ...
Virginia Unveils Draft Rules for Adult-Use Cannabis Market
RICHMOND – The Virginia Cannabis Control Authority (CCA) released an 80-plus-page draft regulatory framework for the state's forthcoming adult-use market – the first detailed set of proposed rules since the General Assembly authorized commercial sales ...
Metrc Rolls Out Compliance Events for New York Cannabis Operators
NEW YORK – Track-and-trace provider Metrc announced a pair of statewide User Exchange events in New York, one in New York City on September 14 and another in Syracuse on September 16, designed to help ...
Eli Lilly Completes Acquisition of AtaiBeckley
INDIANAPOLIS – Eli Lilly & Co. has closed its acquisition of AtaiBeckley Inc., the New York-based biopharmaceutical company developing psychedelic-derived therapies for treatment-resistant mental health conditions. The transaction cleared its final U.S. regulatory checkpoint when ...
Indiana Republicans Propose Statewide Oversight for Craft Hemp Market
INDIANAPOLIS – Three Republican members of the Indiana House introduced legislation this week to impose a structured permitting system on the sale and distribution of craft hemp products, a category that includes flower, beverages and ...
Wyld Acquires Grön
SEATTLE – Wyld, a leading producer of THC-CBD-infused gummies and chocolates, announced its agreement to acquire Grön, a Portland-based maker of sugar-coated pearls and confections, in a move that unites two prominent players in the ...
Compass Pathways Schedules Webinar on Psilocybin Therapy Advances for Depression and PTSD
LONDON – Compass Pathways plans to hold a virtual webinar to outline its steps toward launching a psilocybin-based therapy for treatment-resistant depression (TRD) and to share details on upcoming trials for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). ...
Alabama Tightens Hemp Laws, Moves Medical Cannabis Licenses Forward
MONTGOMERY – Alabama regulators ushered in 2026 with a crackdown on unregulated hemp products containing THC, while inching closer to launching a long-delayed medical Cannabis program that could serve thousands of patients by spring. The ...
Week in Review: Cannabis & Psychedelics Industry Highlights
LOS ANGELES – Federal rescheduling under President Trump’s Executive Order sparked widespread state reactions and investor outlooks into early 2026, blending consolidations and expansions with regulatory friction, outright manipulation, and overtures to public opinion. Psychedelics ...
NY Cannabis Retailers Double in Number, Push Total Sales Past $2.5B Mark
NEW YORK – New York state's licensed Cannabis dispensaries grew to 556 outlets by the end of 2025, more than twice the 261 operating a year earlier, as adult-use sales crossed the $2.5 billion threshold ...
Czech Republic Rolls Out Limited Cannabis Reforms, Allowing Home Growing and Possession Caps
PRAGUE – The Czech Republic ushered in the new year with measured changes to its Cannabis policies, legalizing personal cultivation and setting clear possession thresholds for adults. Under the reforms signed into law by President ...
Verano Expands Medical Cannabis Footprint in West Virginia
CHICAGO – Verano Holdings Corp. has launched its sixth medical Cannabis outlet in West Virginia, targeting the heart of the state's capital to reach more patients in a market that continues to draw steady but ...
Bipartisan Poll Signals Growing Momentum for Federal Legalization
LOS ANGELES – A fresh survey of registered voters reveals that a slim majority of Americans now favor legalizing Cannabis at the federal level, with notable crossover appeal among Republicans following President Donald Trump's recent ...
California Allocates $30M in Cannabis Research Grants
SACRAMENTO – California's Department of Cannabis Control has disbursed nearly $30 million to support 22 academic projects examining Cannabis's influence on public health, environmental practices, and the regulated market. The funding, drawn from taxes on ...
Cannabis Market’s Hidden Scale: New Estimates Point to $90B U.S. Potential
LOS ANGELES – Viridian Capital Advisors' latest Chart of the Week dives into recreational Cannabis sales across nine mature markets (Michigan, Montana, Alaska, New Mexico, Massachusetts, Colorado, Oregon, Washington, and Nevada) to gauge true consumer ...
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 ...
Banks Still Hesitant on Expanding Services for Cannabis Businesses Post-Trump Rescheduling Order
LOS ANGELES – President Donald Trump's Executive Order fast-tracked the move to reschedule Cannabis under the Controlled Substances Act, aiming to ease research barriers and tax deductions for state-legal operators. Yet even as this policy ...
Atai Gains Nasdaq Biotechnology Index Spot
NEW YORK – AtaiBeckley N.V., the clinical-stage biopharmaceutical firm born from the November merger of atai Life Sciences and Beckley Psytech, has secured a place in the Nasdaq Biotechnology Index (NBI), a move that underscores ...
Vireo Growth Acquires Eaze, Expands into California and Florida
MINNEAPOLIS – Vireo Growth Inc. announced a definitive agreement to acquire Eaze Inc. in a stock-based transaction valued at $47 million upfront, marking the company's first push into the competitive California and Florida markets. The ...
Massachusetts Cannabis Rollback Gains Legislative Traction
BOSTON – State election officials have validated more than 78,000 signatures for a measure that would dismantle the commercial side of Massachusetts' recreational Cannabis industry, thrusting the issue back into legislative hands just as the ...
U.S. Cannabis Operators Trail Canadian Counterparts in Valuation Metrics, Tied to Tax Constraints
LOS ANGELES – In the ongoing tug-of-war between regulatory challenges and market potential in the Cannabis sector, a fresh analysis underscores how a longstanding IRS provision continues to weigh on American companies. According to Viridian ...
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, ...
Week in Review: Cannabis & Psychedelics Industry Highlights
LOS ANGELES – Operators and investors wrapped up 2025 on a high note, with federal policy breakthroughs and corporate maneuvers signaling sustained growth potential across Cannabis & Psychedelics. Over the past two weeks, President Trump's ...
Texas Awards $50M Grant to Spearhead Ibogaine Trials
AUSTIN – The Texas Health and Human Services Commission has granted $50 million to a statewide consortium led by UTHealth Houston and the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, marking the formal launch of ...
Vireo Growth Acquires PharmaCann Colorado Assets
DENVER – Vireo Growth Inc. reached an agreement with PharmaCann Inc. to buy its 17 operational dispensaries and related assets in Colorado for roughly $49 million in company shares, a move that bolsters Vireo's retail ...
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 ...
Trulieve Secures $140M in Senior Notes
TALLAHASSEE – Trulieve Cannabis Corp. wrapped up a $140 million private placement of 10.5% senior secured notes, tapping into robust investor appetite to fuel its operational push. The deal, upsized from initial plans, comes just ...
🚨🚨 BREAKING: TRUMP RESCHEDULES CANNABIS 🚨🚨
WASHINGTON, D.C. –After months of speculation, President Trump Issues Executive Order Directing Federal Rescheduling of Cannabis to Schedule III President Donald Trump has signed an executive order directing federal agencies to complete the rescheduling of ...
Czech Republic Approves Psilocybin Therapy Guidelines for 2026
PRAGUE – The Czech Republic has taken a measured step toward integrating psychedelic-assisted therapy into its healthcare system, approving detailed rules that will permit the controlled use of psilocybin for select patients beginning in January ...
