News

  • Marijuana Opponents File Lawsuit To Block Trump Administration’s Federal Rescheduling Move
    by Tom Angell on May 5, 2026 at 6:50 pm

    Opponents of marijuana reform have filed a lawsuit challenging the federal cannabis rescheduling action announced by President Donald Trump’s Department of Justice last month-using a law firm at which a former Trump administration attorney general is a partner. Prohibitionist organization Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) and the National Drug and Alcohol Screening Association (NDASA) on Monday asked the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit to review and set aside the cannabis rescheduling action, alleging that they have been “aggrieved” by the reform. Under an action . . .

  • Cannatela, The Spreadable Edible- Italian Luxury Meets Gourmet Experience
    by Industry Articles on May 5, 2026 at 6:38 pm

    Disclosure: Cannabis Tech (cannabistech.com) occasionally features sponsored content, such as articles and videos, created in collaboration with partners. This content is clearly marked within itself. While this collaboration generates revenue for us, we want to emphasize our commitment to editorial independence and delivering accurate, unbiased information. Views expressed in sponsored content are those of the authors or creators and not necessarily reflective of Cannabis Tech’s views. For Immediate Release Cannatela is Available at Over 180 Dispensaries Across New York State “Cannatela is . . .

  • Electric Haze: Why Real Sativas Refuse to Rush
    by Cannabis & Tech Today on May 5, 2026 at 5:59 pm

    Dwight Diotte was 14 when he built his first grow at the end of his bed, lining a cardboard box with tinfoil and screwing in a blue 150-watt bulb. He had noticed the seeds in his teenage stash and decided, with adolescent certainty, that he would grow his own. When asked when he knew cannabis would be his life’s work, his answer was swift. “Immediately, from the time I took the second drag.” That conviction carried him west in the early 1980s, first to British Columbia, then down through Oregon and California, tracing the supply lines of the era in search of better genetics. By 1989, he was . . .

  • Virginia: NORML Leads Coalition Urging Governor Not to Veto Adult-Use Marijuana Sales Bills
    by NORML on May 5, 2026 at 5:52 pm

    Virginia NORML is also promoting a separate action alert encouraging voters to contact the Governor’s office. To date, nearly 2,000 communications have been sent by Virginia voters. The post Virginia: NORML Leads Coalition Urging Governor Not to Veto Adult-Use Marijuana Sales Bills appeared first on NORML.

  • Marijuana Industry Banking Access Is A ‘Quandary’ That Needs To Be Solved With Legalization, Key GOP Senator Says
    by Tom Angell on May 5, 2026 at 5:07 pm

    The Republican senator who heads up the Banking Committee says the fact that marijuana remains illegal at the federal level while more states legalize it has created a “quandary” for cannabis businesses and banks that wish to serve them. “Congress is going to have to make it legal, because today even though the president has declassified it or reduced its impact, the truth is it is still illegal,” Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), who chairs the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, said on Tuesday, referring to the Trump administration’s recent move to federally reschedule marijuana. . . .

  • Pennsylvania Senate Panel Approves Bill To Regulate Marijuana And Hemp, With New Amendments
    by Tom Angell on May 5, 2026 at 4:36 pm

    A Pennsylvania Senate committee has approved a bill to create a new Cannabis Control Board (CCB) to oversee the state’s medical marijuana program and intoxicating hemp products-for the third time, with new amendments. The body could also one day oversee recreational cannabis if it is legalized in the state. The Senate Law & Justice Committee voted 7-4 on Monday to advance the legislation back to the floor for consideration. The panel had previously done so in March and, before that, in October-but its sponsor Sen. Dan Laughlin (R), who is also the committee’s chair, has repeatedly brought the . . .

  • North Carolina Voters Could Decide To Legalize Marijuana At The Ballot In November Under New Senate Bill
    by Tom Angell on May 5, 2026 at 3:17 pm

    North Carolina senators have filed a new bill that, if enacted, would allow voters to decide whether to legalize marijuana for personal or medical use at the ballot box this November. The legislation, filed by Sens. Kandie Smith (D), Caleb Theodros (D), Paul Lowe Jr. (D) and Joyce Waddell (D), seeks to place two separate cannabis questions before voters. The first, if approved, would add this new section to the state Constitution: “Section 39. Right to possession of limited amounts of cannabis for personal use. The possession of limited amounts of cannabis for personal use shall not be a . . .

  • CSQ Invites Public Comments on EU GMP Addendum
    by Industry Articles on May 5, 2026 at 2:18 pm

    St. Louis, MO (May 4, 2026) ─ Today, CSQ, the first accredited cannabis/hemp safety and quality certification program published its new EU GMP Addendum, initiating the official public comment period for industry stakeholders to weigh in on the program and audit requirements. CSQ’s addendum is meant to help producers of cannabinoid materials and products across the globe verify that their product meets EudraLex Volume 4, Parts 1 & 2, and Annex 7 (EU-GMP) regulatory requirements for medicinal herbal products. The EU GMP Addendum is not a standalone regulatory certification. . . .

  • ‘Medical Marijuana Is Now Legal In South Carolina,’ GOP Senator Declares As Republican Governor Candidate Calls It A ‘Gateway Drug’
    by Tom Angell on May 5, 2026 at 12:22 pm

    A Republican South Carolina state senator says that “medical marijuana is now legal” in the state following the Trump administration’s move to enact federal rescheduling-but a GOP congressman who is running to be the next governor says he has a “problem with marijuana,” calling it a “gateway drug.” State Sen. Tom Davis (R), who has sponsored bills to legalize medical cannabis over a number of sessions, said that under a little-known state law he believes was triggered by federal rescheduling, “we have just become the 41st state that has a legally authorized medical marijuana program.” . . .

  • Marijuana Groups Urge Virginia Governor Not To Veto Sales Legalization Bill, Even After Lawmakers Rejected Her Amendments
    by Tom Angell on May 5, 2026 at 11:44 am

    A coalition of marijuana reform advocacy organizations and businesses are calling on Virginia’s governor not to veto legislation to legalize recreational cannabis sales even after lawmakers rejected her proposed changes to the measure. “Together, these bills address the real issues surrounding cannabis in the Commonwealth today: an already-existing, unregulated marijuana market operating openly across the state while consumers, communities, and law enforcement are left without the protections of a legal framework,” the groups wrote in a letter to Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D) on Monday. “Let’s . . .

  • Study: Most Americans Support Federal Reclassification of Cannabis
    by TG Branfalt on May 5, 2026 at 6:38 am

    Most Americans support the federal government’s reclassification of medical cannabis, according to an analysis of more than 40,000 comments on the public record related to federal proposals by researchers at Johns Hopkins University and the University of California San Diego. In response to a 2024 proposal by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to reschedule cannabis, 42,913 comments were submitted to the docket, which is part of the federal e-rulemaking process and how the public can engage with proposed regulations. It marked the largest amount of public input to date on federal . . .

  • Indiana Gov. Says Federal Medical Cannabis Reclassification Makes State Reforms ‘More Likely’
    by TG Branfalt on May 5, 2026 at 6:35 am

    Indiana Gov. Mike Braun (R) has again expressed support for medical cannabis legalization in the state, the Indiana Capital Chronicle reports. Braun last week told reporters that he was “going to do what makes sense,” noting that recent federal changes – moving medical cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III under the Controlled Substances Act – make it “more likely” that the state could legalize medical cannabis. “You’re going to need to ask the legislators and the leaders in those two chambers to see what they’re thinking, because I’m clear in terms of where I’m at. You’ve got to . . .

  • Idaho Medical Cannabis Campaign Submits Petition Signatures to County Clerks
    by TG Branfalt on May 5, 2026 at 6:35 am

    The Idaho campaign seeking to legalize medical cannabis in the state has submitted its petition signatures to county clerks ahead of the May 8 deadline, the Idaho Capital Sun reports. The Natural Medicine Alliance of Idaho has indicated it has collected more than 100,000 signatures to put the issue on November general election ballots. Amanda Watson, the campaign spokeswoman, told the Capital Sun that the campaign looks forward “to hearing good news from the Secretary of State’s office once the signatures are submitted, reviewed and verified.” “In Idaho, we are fortunate to have the . . .

  • Mauka to Makai: An Adventure Across the Big Island of Hawaii
    by Northwest Leaf Staff on May 5, 2026 at 3:08 am

    The Big Island of Hawaiʻi embodies a sense of feral magic; it is both ancient and vibrant with new green life. As you set foot on the ʻĀina and breathe in the ocean air, your whole body drops into awe. You feel Tūtū Pele’s mana rising through the warmth of lava rock beneath your feet, her essence carried on salt-kissed trade winds drifting in from the vast Pacific. The land meets you exactly where you are and whispers, “Slow down and breathe in the blessings.”Mauka to makai – mountain to ocean – this island isn’t just a destination, it’s a living, breathing kūpuna, inviting you to remember . . .

  • Barney’s Farm is Still Doing the Same Work
    by Northwest Leaf Staff on May 5, 2026 at 2:38 am

    Derry Brett started collecting Cannabis genetics in the early 1980s, moving through parts of Central and Southeast Asia and bringing seeds back from places where the plant had been grown for generations. Those lines are still in Barney’s Farm’s breeding program – artifacts, yes, but continually worked into whatever comes next as the seed bank’s legacy grows. Barney’s Farm now operates as a global seed company with decades of recognition behind it, but Brett doesn’t frame it that way. When the subject of competition comes up, he shrugs it off. “The market being crowded is a compliment,” he . . .

  • Newsbrief: Texas judge allows hemp sales to temporarily resume
    by Week_admin on May 5, 2026 at 2:01 am

    The Texas hemp industry can resume selling smokeable products after a Texas judge granted a temporary injunction. A state ban on the products, a substantial part of the state’s multi-billion hemp industry, took effect at the end of March. Judge Daniella DeSeta Lyttle blocked Texas from enforcing a new “total delta-9 THC” standard that included THCA towards the 0.3% limit for hemp products. THCA converts to THC when heated. The ruling also blocks . . . Log in or become a WeedWeek Member to read this article. The post Newsbrief: Texas judge allows hemp sales to temporarily resume appeared first . . .

  • Fire Follower: Alien Genetics Reveals Advanced ‘Rotational Terps’
    by Northwest Leaf Staff on May 4, 2026 at 11:57 pm

    Alien Genetics – the influential maker of Fruity Pebbles OG, Starfighter and Alien Rock Candy – is back with four crosses to his Kiwi Sours that are hot for 2026. Hundreds of strains bear Alien Genetics’ DNA, including MAC1 and Cookies and Cream. According to Alien and Lady Alien, the two-person team, Alien Genetics is in pursuit of unique terpenes that have a “rotational,” palate-staining quality. The hottest release of the Kiwi Sours crosses is dubbed Laura Palmer for Alien Genetics’ love of the show “Twin Peaks.” Laura Palmer is (Paris Rock Candy x Marshmallowz) and Kiwi Sours. Get that . . .

  • White House Raises Alarm About ‘High-Potency’ Marijuana And Its Marketing In New National Drug Strategy
    by Tom Angell on May 4, 2026 at 9:33 pm

    The White House released a new National Drug Control Strategy on Monday that raises alarm about “high-potency” marijuana and expresses concerns that international cartels and crime groups “exploit” state cannabis legalization laws. It also discusses the forthcoming federal recriminalization of hemp THC products that is scheduled for later this year under a law signed by President Donald Trump. While the publication of the new 195-page document from the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) comes just weeks after the Trump administration announced it is moving forward with . . .

  • Claudia Della Mora Speaks on the Architecture of Trust in European Cannabis
    by Cannabis & Tech Today on May 4, 2026 at 7:18 pm

    For years, the cannabis industry invited a certain kind of storytelling. The dominant narratives favored scale, spectacle, and capital. Expansion itself often passed for strategy. In North America especially, the sector’s early rise was framed through cultivation footprints, licensing races, and the promise of a market that seemed perpetually on the verge of going fully mainstream. Claudia Della Mora has spent enough time inside that world to understand both its appeal and its distortions. Trained in investment banking and shaped by years of work across M&A, regulated industries, and . . .

  • Cartel Allegations Rock Missouri Market: Last Week in Weed April 28-May 4, 2026
    by Hannah Eko on May 4, 2026 at 6:49 pm

    Welcome to the latest edition of “Last Week In Weed,” catching you up on the latest breaking news and industry developments in the world of cannabis. Here’s what you may have missed over the last week: Missouri Lawsuit Alleges Cartel Control of State Market A new lawsuit in Missouri is raising serious concerns about market integrity, alleging that an illicit network has effectively seized control of parts of the state’s cannabis supply chain. Plaintiffs claim that legal operators are being undercut by organized groups leveraging intimidation, price manipulation, and regulatory loopholes to . . .

  • Alcohol Industry Group Calls Out Congress For Failing To Address Hemp THC Product Ban In Farm Bill
    by Tom Angell on May 4, 2026 at 5:52 pm

    A major alcohol industry trade association says the U.S. House of Representatives’s passage last week of a Farm Bill without including provisions to call off the federal recriminalization of hemp THC products represents a “missed opportunity.” “A ban will not remove these products from the market-it will push consumers toward unregulated, online channels with no age verification, no product standards and no accountability,” Dawson Hobbs, executive vice president of government affairs for Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America (WSWA), said in a press release on Monday. The House last week voted . . .

  • New York Officials Are Now Accepting Applications For Marijuana Farmers’ Markets And Pop-Up Events
    by Tom Angell on May 4, 2026 at 4:05 pm

    New York marijuana officials have announced that they have begun accepting applications from licensed dispensaries that want to host temporary cannabis farmers’ markets and pop-up events. The Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) on Monday launched the application process for what the state is calling “Cannabis Showcase Events.” “Cannabis Showcase Events expand opportunity within New York’s regulated market in a thoughtful and deliberate way while keeping the guardrails firmly in place,” John Kagia, OCM’s acting executive director, said in a press release. “These events allow licensed . . .

  • Bipartisan Senators React To Trump’s Marijuana Move, With A GOP Lawmaker Saying Her Friends Use It Medically
    by Tom Angell on May 4, 2026 at 3:03 pm

    Bipartisan U.S. senators are reacting to the Trump administration’s move to federally reschedule cannabis in new interviews with Marijuana Moment-with Democrats saying the reform doesn’t go far enough, some Republicans expressing concerns and one GOP lawmaker discussing how she’s finally opening up to cannabis after speaking to friends who use it for medical purposes. Sen. Ted Budd (R-NC) told Marijuana Moment that he’s “no fan” of President Donald Trump’s cannabis rescheduling action, saying that “if you want to make it medical it needs to have standard research alongside of it, and it seems . . .

  • Texas Hemp Flower and Pre-Roll Ban Delayed Yet Again
    by Graham Abbott on May 4, 2026 at 2:57 pm

    Texas hemp product retailers can continue selling smokable hemp products until July 27, the next trial date in an ongoing lawsuit challenging the state’s new regulations, KUT News reports. Filed by the Texas Hemp Business Council, Hemp Industry & Farmers of America, and multiple hemp industry retailers, manufacturers, and farmers, the lawsuit argues that the Department of State Health Services (DSHS) is not authorized to change the definition of hemp products under state law. Rather, the suit argues the change would need to be implemented via the Legislature. Hemp flower and pre-rolls . . .

  • Connecticut Lawmakers Decide to Keep THC Caps on Cannabis Flower
    by Graham Abbott on May 4, 2026 at 2:56 pm

    Connecticut lawmakers are walking back their plan to eliminate the state’s THC cap on cannabis flower and concentrates, CT Insider reports. House lawmakers approved a bill last month containing language to eliminate the THC caps on cannabis flower and oils and increase the THC cap for infused beverages sold in package stores from 3 milligrams to 5 milligrams. And while the Senate approved that proposal 18-17 late Thursday evening, party leaders have put together a follow-up compromise bill that will reestablish the caps on flower and concentrates. “We’re trying to understand and reflect the . . .