Legal Affairs
The Role of Government Relations in Cannabis Industry Success
NEW YORK — In highly regulated industries, success depends not ...
Senate Democrats Advance Plan For Federal Legalization Of Cannabis
WASHINGTON – Sens. Cory Booker (D-NJ), Ron Wyden (D-OR), and ...
Trump Signs Hemp THC Ban Delay
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump signed H.R. 6500, the Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2027, pushing back sweeping federal restrictions on hemp-derived THC products from November 12 to December 11, 2026. Embedded in a must-pass ...
Aurora vs Curaleaf: M&A Clash Reaches Shareholder Decision Point
EDMONTON - STAMFORD – Aurora Cannabis Inc. filed its directors' circular, unanimously urging shareholders to REJECT the unsolicited takeover bid from Curaleaf Holdings Inc., calling the offer inadequate and warning it puts long-term shareholder value ...
Week in Review: Cannabis & Psychedelics Industry Highlights
LOS ANGELES – Some weeks move the needle. The past fortnight moved the whole dial. A Phase 3 breakthrough, a nine-figure pharma bet, a federal price tag on legalization, hemp THC ban delay, and a ...
Cresco Labs Closes Pennsylvania Dispensary Deal
CHICAGO – Cresco Labs Inc. announced the closing of its acquisition of 100% of the outstanding equity interests in PharmaCann Penn, LLC for an aggregate consideration of $50 million. The deal covers nine operational retail ...
Grön Scatters Pearls Over Four States at Once
PORTLAND – Grön officially announced that its flagship Pearls line is now available in California, Colorado, Michigan, and Nevada – the company's largest simultaneous multi-state rollout to date. The expansion places Grön inside some of ...
Headset Settles Federal PPP Loan Claims
SEATTLE – Headset Inc. agreed to pay more than $1 million to settle claims that it improperly received a Small Business Administration Paycheck Protection Program loan in February 2021, according to an announcement from First ...
Oregon Consolidates Psilocybin and Medical Cannabis Under One Regulator
PORTLAND – The Oregon Health Authority (OHA) officially completes its administrative consolidation of Oregon Psilocybin Services (OPS) and the Oregon Medical Marijuana Program (OMMP), giving rise to a unified oversight body formally called the Oregon ...
Trump Signs Hemp THC Ban Delay
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump signed H.R. 6500, the Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2027, pushing back sweeping federal restrictions on hemp-derived THC products from November 12 to December 11, 2026. Embedded in a must-pass ...
Aurora vs Curaleaf: M&A Clash Reaches Shareholder Decision Point
EDMONTON - STAMFORD – Aurora Cannabis Inc. filed its directors' circular, unanimously urging shareholders to REJECT the unsolicited takeover bid from Curaleaf Holdings Inc., calling the offer inadequate and warning it puts long-term shareholder value ...
Week in Review: Cannabis & Psychedelics Industry Highlights
LOS ANGELES – Some weeks move the needle. The past fortnight moved the whole dial. A Phase 3 breakthrough, a nine-figure pharma bet, a federal price tag on legalization, hemp THC ban delay, and a ...
Germany Puts “GMP Washing” in Medical Cannabis on Notice
BERLIN – Germany's Hessian State Office for Health and Care (HLfGP) published a formal guidance document targeting the widespread practice of "GMP washing", i.e. importing Cannabis flowers from third-country cultivators under Good Agricultural and Collection ...
Week in Review: Cannabis & Psychedelics Industry Highlights
LOS ANGELES – The past fortnight delivered the most jam-packed period of meaningful news our sector has seen in 2026. Federal rescheduling hearings opened. Virginia finally locked in its retail framework. Definium posted the cleanest ...
Lazear Advises Medical Cannabis Company Organic Remedies on ESOP Transaction
COLUMBUS, Ohio, July 6, 2026 – Organic Remedies, one of Pennsylvania's leading medical cannabis companies, has completed its transition to 100% employee ownership through an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP), marking another milestone in the ...
Q2 2026: The Quarter That Counted For Psychedelics
LOS ANGELES – Q2 2026 gave the psychedelic medicine sector the quarter that practitioners, investors, and regulators had been building up for years. Clinical programs delivered Phase 3 results, the White House signed an executive ...
California’s Legal Cannabis Market Holds Steady at Midyear
LOS ANGELES – California's licensed retailers generated $323.1 million in Cannabis sales in June, pushing the state's first-half total to nearly $1.95 billion. The June figure landed almost exactly in line with the roughly $322 ...
High Tide Tightens Ownership Guardrails with New Two-Part Rights Plan
CALGARY – High Tide Inc. announced that its board of directors approved a Temporary Shareholder Rights Plan and an Amended and Restated Shareholder Rights Plan, both executed with Olympia Trust Company as Rights Agent, dated ...
Splash Beverage Group Takes Global License on CannEpil, Targeting Drug-Resistant Epilepsy
FORT LAUDERDALE – Splash Beverage Group Inc. announced it has secured an exclusive worldwide license to CannEpil®, a cannabinoid-based investigational treatment for drug-resistant epilepsy (DRE), through an agreement with Argent BioPharma Limited, the Australian-listed clinical-stage ...
Legal Cannabis Generates Billions, Reaches New Highs Across Key States
LOS ANGELES - When Colorado and Washington launched the first legal adult-use Cannabis markets in January 2014, the debate was primarily about public safety and social policy. Twelve years later, the fiscal argument has taken ...
Cannabis Retailers Face Engagement Gap in Loyalty Programs
LOS ANGELES – A new report published by Sweed, a tech company that provides an all-in-one software ecosystem for Cannabis dispensaries, draws on Q1 2026 data from 2.1 million shoppers and $452.5 million in retail ...
Virginia Lawmakers Enact Plan for Legal Cannabis Sales
RICHMOND – The Virginia Senate and House of Delegates gave final approval Monday to a budget bill that legalizes recreational Cannabis sales. Lawmakers adopted Gov. Abigail Spanberger's proposed amendments in full, meaning the measure is ...
Tilray Acquires HelloMD to Build Out Canadian Medical Cannabis Network
NEW YORK – Tilray Brands Inc. has agreed to acquire HelloMD Corporation’s Canadian medical Cannabis assets, in a deal the companies say will build a fully vertically integrated medical Cannabis structure in Canada and add ...
DEA Opens Hearing on Adult-Use Cannabis Federal Schedule III Status
ARLINGTON – The Drug Enforcement Administration began hearings Monday on a proposal to reclassify Cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), a proceeding officials and advocates on both sides ...
Helus Pharma Advances Phase 3 Trial for Novel Therapy in MDD
NEW YORK – Helus Pharma, the business name now used by Cybin Inc., announced that enrollment in its APPROACH Phase 3 trial has passed the 86% mark. The trial is testing HLP003, the company's lead ...
Hemp THC Beverages Return to Ohio Shelves
CLEVELAND – Hemp-derived THC drinks are back on a limited number of Ohio shelves after U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Helmick temporarily blocked the state from enforcing its newest hemp licensing law against a group of ...
Georgia Expands Access to Medical Cannabis
ATLANTA – A revised medical Cannabis law takes effect in Georgia on Wednesday, broadening the conditions that qualify patients for legal access and permitting vaporization as an approved method of use for the first time. ...
California Directs $227M Toward Cannabis Enforcement
SACRAMENTO – Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that California has awarded $227 million in Proposition 64 grant funding to local governments working to address the public health and safety effects of Cannabis legalization. The money is ...
Bipartisan Cannabis Banking Bill (SAFE) Returns to Congress Ahead of DEA Hearing
WASHINGTON – A bipartisan coalition of senators and representatives reintroduced the Secure and Fair Enforcement (SAFE) Banking Act, restarting a long-running effort to let banks and credit unions serve Cannabis businesses without fear of federal ...
Glass House Brands Gains NYSE Listing Approval
LONG BEACH – Glass House Brands Inc. has secured approval to list its shares on the New York Stock Exchange, marking another step for a major player in the state’s market toward a prominent trading ...
Sacramento Clears Path for Cannabis Consumption Lounges
SACRAMENTO – The Sacramento City Council voted 7-1 to amend the city's zoning code and classify Cannabis consumption lounges as an allowed land use, capping a process that traces back to a pilot program the ...
Delaware Moves to Regulate THC-Infused Beverages
DOVER – Delaware's Senate Banking, Business, Insurance & Technology Committee advanced House Bill 373, sending the measure to the Senate Finance Committee and bringing it a step closer to a full Senate vote. The action ...
AMASS Invests in Hemp-Derived THC Beverage Brand Afterdream
LOS ANGELES – AMASS Brands Group, a California-based multi-category beverage platform, has entered into a Simple Agreement for Future Equity (SAFE) in Afterdream, a hemp-derived THC beverage brand. The agreement grants AMASS the right to ...
Nebraska Takes First Step Toward State-Grown Medical Cannabis Supply
LINCOLN – Nebraska’s medical Cannabis program, approved by voters in 2024, has reached a notable early milestone. State regulators recently authorized the first licensed cultivator to begin planting, marking concrete progress in building a regulated ...
Ora Pharm Completes Helius Acquisition, Becomes New Zealand’s Largest Medical Cannabis Company
AUCKLAND – Ora Pharm has completed the acquisition of the key assets of Helius Therapeutics and restarted manufacturing operations. The agreement covers Helius's EU-GMP-certified production plant, its remaining inventory, and its operating licenses, though it ...
Glass House Brands Triggers Warrant Acceleration
LONG BEACH – Glass House Brands Inc., a major player in California Cannabis production and retail, has told holders of warrants issued in two earlier financing rounds that their right to convert those securities into ...
Week in Review: Cannabis & Psychedelics Industry Highlights
LOS ANGELES – Two weeks of headlines confirm a market sorting itself by balance sheet rather than by ambition. Cannabis is consolidating into a smaller circle of disciplined operators, while psychedelics graduate from pilot programs ...
