Legal Affairs
From Cherokee to California: The New Bipartisan Crackdown on ‘Kid-Friendly’ Cannabis Marketing
LOS ANGELES- The California Department of Cannabis Control (DCC) issued fresh guidance this week reminding licensees that marketing, packaging, and labeling that could appeal to minors is strictly prohibited under MAUCRSA. It specifically highlighted bright ...
Week in Review: Cannabis & Psychedelics Industry Highlights
LOS ANGELES – Investors and operators tuned in closely over the past fortnight as political signals rippled through boardrooms and trading floors, underscoring the sector's knack for turning headlines into hard dollars. Federal nods to ...
Target Quietly Enters the THC Beverage Market — As Republicans Push to Recriminalize Hemp
LOS ANGELES- Target — one of America’s largest retailers — has quietly begun stocking THC-infused beverages at select stores in Minnesota, signaling one of the most significant steps yet in the mainstreaming of Cannabis consumer ...
Cannabis Market Faces Inevitable Wave of Consolidations to Keep the Pace of Dynamics
LOS ANGELES – Viridian Capital Advisors' Chart of the Week painted a picture of a highly fragmented U.S. Cannabis industry, where the top five multi-state operators (MSOs) generated about $4.8 billion in revenue, equating to ...
Snoop Dogg’s Venture Firm Boosts UK Cannabis Clinic with £4.5M Investment
LONDON – Casa Verde Capital, co-founded by rapper Snoop Dogg, has pumped £4.5 million [$6 million] into Mamedica, the United Kingdom's dominant online provider of medical Cannabis prescriptions, in what stands as the biggest funding ...
Ohio Cannabis Sales Hit $3B Mark at Steady Pace of Recreational Expansion
COLUMBUS – New York may command the spotlight in East Coast Cannabis discussions, with its market posting $1 billion in sales through August of this year alone, but Ohio's program has methodically built a formidable ...
GTI Launches $50M Share Buyback Program
CHICAGO – Green Thumb Industries announced that its board has approved a program to repurchase up to $50 million of its subordinate voting shares over the next year. The initiative, set to begin on September ...
From Cherokee to California: The New Bipartisan Crackdown on ‘Kid-Friendly’ Cannabis Marketing
LOS ANGELES- The California Department of Cannabis Control (DCC) issued fresh guidance this week reminding licensees that marketing, packaging, and labeling that could appeal to minors is strictly prohibited under MAUCRSA. It specifically highlighted bright ...
Week in Review: Cannabis & Psychedelics Industry Highlights
LOS ANGELES – Investors and operators tuned in closely over the past fortnight as political signals rippled through boardrooms and trading floors, underscoring the sector's knack for turning headlines into hard dollars. Federal nods to ...
Target Quietly Enters the THC Beverage Market — As Republicans Push to Recriminalize Hemp
LOS ANGELES- Target — one of America’s largest retailers — has quietly begun stocking THC-infused beverages at select stores in Minnesota, signaling one of the most significant steps yet in the mainstreaming of Cannabis consumer ...
California’s Proposal to Legalize Psychedelic Treatment Centers Fails for the Year
LOS ANGELES- The proposal to legalize psychedelic treatment centers in California has been shelved for the year. The initiative was developed in response to concerns raised by Governor Gavin Newsom (D) after he vetoed a ...
Iowa Imposes Stricter Limits on Hemp-Derived THC Products
LOS ANGELES- Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds signed multiple bills into law on Friday, including House File 2605, which aims to close loopholes in state and federal hemp laws. This bill imposes new restrictions on hemp-derived ...
Cannabis Stocks Surge Following Biden’s Reclassification Announcement
NEW YORK- At 1 p.m. on May 16, Biden shared a video on X, declaring the U.S. Department of Justice's decision to reclassify cannabis. This announcement led to a swift increase in cannabis-related stocks, reflecting ...
Cresco Labs Reports First Quarter Financial Performance
LOS ANGELES- Cresco Labs reported first-quarter revenues of $184 million, reflecting the company’s growth trajectory in the competitive cannabis market. This increase in revenue is attributed to market expansion and enhanced product offerings under its ...
DEA Report Highlights Shifts in U.S. Drug Trafficking Trends
LOS ANGELES- The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) released its 2024 National Drug Threat Assessment (NDTA) on May 9, providing an in-depth analysis of illegal drug and trafficking trends in the United States. DEA Administrator Anne ...
Canopy Growth Raises $50 Million Through Exchange and Subscription Agreement
LOS ANGELES- Canopy Growth, a cannabis producer based in Smiths Falls, Ontario, has raised approximately $50 million (68 million Canadian dollars) in gross proceeds through an exchange and subscription agreement with an institutional investor. The ...
DEA Report Highlights Growing Threat from Synthetic Drugs and Illegal Cannabis Operations
LOS ANGELES- The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) released its 2024 National Drug Threat Assessment (NDTA) on May 9, detailing illegal drug and trafficking trends in the United States. DEA Administrator Anne Milgram emphasized the shift ...
47 Ohio Municipalities Ban Adult-Use Cannabis Businesses Ahead of Program Launch
LOS ANGELES- As Ohio prepares for the launch of its adult-use cannabis program, several dozen municipalities have implemented temporary bans on adult-use cannabis businesses. Research from Ohio State University, summarized by Cleveland.com, indicates that as ...
Analysis: Adult-Use Cannabis Markets Generate Over $20 Billion in State Tax Revenue
Washington, DC (NORML): Taxes derived from the licensed sale of state-regulated cannabis products totaled more than $4 billion in 2023, according to an analysis provided by the Marijuana Policy Project. MPP’s estimates do not include revenues derived from ...
Biden Administration Begins Formal Rulemaking Process Downgrading Cannabis to Less Dangerous Drug
WASHINGTON, D.C. - President Joe Biden is officially advancing plans to ease federal cannabis restrictions. Today, Biden announced his administration's intention to reclassify cannabis from the most restrictive category on the federal list of illegal ...
Ohio Committee Approves Plan for Adult-Use Cannabis Sales
LOS ANGELES- The Ohio Joint Committee on Agency Rule Review (JCARR) has approved new regulations to allow medical cannabis dispensaries to sell adult-use products starting June 7, 2024. This development follows the voter approval of ...
Texas Senate to Hold Public Hearing on Delta-8, Delta-9 THC Products
LOS ANGELES- The Texas Senate will hold a public hearing on May 29 to discuss a potential ban on delta-8 and delta-9 THC products. These products have been widely available in Texas since 2019, following ...
Study Finds Psilocybin Use Does Not Significantly Alter Religious Beliefs
LOS ANGELES- A new study from Johns Hopkins University, published in the Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, indicates that a single psilocybin experience is unlikely to change an atheist's belief in God or alter a person's ...
Federal Judge Orders Cannabis Dispensary Operator to Bargain with Union
LOS ANGELES- In a landmark decision, U.S. District Judge Myong Joun has mandated that the cannabis dispensary operator I.N.S.A. must negotiate with the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) union, despite its employees voting against ...
Enveric Biosciences Eyes Major Licensing Deals for Its Drug Pipeline
NEW YORK- Enveric Biosciences is actively pursuing licensing agreements that could potentially net the company up to $410 million in milestone payments. This initiative follows a newly announced partnership with MindBio and comes amidst the ...
New York Cannabis Regulatory Chief to Resign Amid Program Overhaul
LOS ANGELES- Chris Alexander, the Executive Director of New York's Office of Cannabis Management (OCM), is set to resign at the end of his three-year term in September, as announced by Governor Kathy Hochul. The ...
Minnesota Residents Sue for Right to Sell Home-Grown Cannabis
LOS ANGELES- In Minnesota, a legal battle is unfolding as four individuals who legally cultivate cannabis have initiated a lawsuit against state cannabis regulators. The plaintiffs argue that the Minnesota Constitution permits them to sell ...
Idaho Medical Cannabis Initiative Gains Momentum Amid New Signature Drive
LOS ANGELES- In Idaho, one of the few states without any legal cannabis framework, the advocacy group Kind Idaho is making strides to place a medical cannabis initiative on the 2024 ballot. The organization faces ...
Product Recall in Arizona Due to Contamination Concerns
LOS ANGELES- The Arizona Department of Health Services has issued a recall for a product known as Onion Bhaji after laboratory tests detected possible contamination with Aspergillus, a fungus known to cause allergic reactions or ...
Massachusetts Orders Cease on THCV Products by Hemp Company
LOS ANGELES- The Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR) has issued a cease and desist order to Bay State Extracts, a state-licensed hemp business, directing it to stop the production and sale of products containing ...
Ohio to Award Dual-Use Cannabis Licenses by June
LOS ANGELES- Ohio is set to begin the transition to allow existing medical cannabis dispensaries to sell cannabis recreationally. The state's Joint Committee on Agency Rule Review has approved regulations for dual-use licenses, with applications ...
A Delays Hearing on Psychedelic Compounds
LOS ANGELES- The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has postponed a crucial administrative hearing originally scheduled for June on the proposed ban of two psychedelic compounds, 2,5-dimethoxy-4-iodoamphetamine (DOI) and 2,5-dimethoxy-4-chloroamphetamine (DOC). This decision follows a legal ...
U.S. Policy Shifts on Cannabis and Psilocybin for Chronic Pain Management
LOS ANGELES- In a landmark policy shift, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) has announced plans to reclassify cannabis from a Schedule I to a Schedule III controlled substance, a category that includes less restricted ...
Global Landscape of Recreational Cannabis Legalization as of 2024
LOS ANGELES- As of April 2024, the global landscape for recreational cannabis legalization remains limited, with only nine countries having fully legalized its use nationwide, according to Visual Capitalist. Notably, Germany recently joined Malta and ...
Reunion Neuroscience Secures $103 Million for Development of Psychedelic Drug Therapy
LOS ANGELES- Reunion Neuroscience Inc., a developer of psychedelic drug treatments, has successfully raised $103 million in a Series A financing round. The round was co-led by MPM BioImpact and Novo Holdings, with additional participation ...
