News

  • Bioxyne to manufacture Aurora Cannabis products for international distribution
    by Rowan Dunne on April 6, 2026 at 8:28 am

    Australia’s Bioxyne Ltd (ASX: BXN) (FRA: PR8) has agreed to manufacture medicinal cannabis products for Aurora Cannabis Inc (TSE: ACB) (NASDAQ: ACB) (FRA: 21P) as the Canadian licensed producer pushes forward with international ambitions. Through its subsidiary Breathe Life Sciences, Bioxyne produces pharmaceutical-grade oils, vapes and gummies in its GMP-licensed Queensland facility. Aurora is placing purchase orders for these items and distributing them to patients in Australia and the United Kingdom. Initial orders already cover more than 5,000 sublingual oil units and over 20,000 vapes, . . .

  • Louisiana Senators Approve Bill To Allow Medical Marijuana Use In Hospitals For Terminally Ill Patients
    by Tom Angell on April 5, 2026 at 1:19 pm

    A Louisiana Senate panel has advanced a bill to allow patients with terminal and irreversible conditions to use medical marijuana in hospitals. The Senate Health and Welfare Committee approved the legislation, SB 270 from Sen. Katrina Jackson-Andrews (D), with amendments, in a voice vote on Wednesday. “This bill was brought at the request of constituents who believe that therapeutic medical marijuana, which is already legal in this state, should be offered in hospitals when patients are terminally ill or otherwise in need the comfort of this medicine,” Jackson-Andrews said ahead of the vote. . . .

  • Glass Artist: Ra Glass
    by Oregon Leaf Staff on April 4, 2026 at 11:33 pm

    Raul Rangel, or Ra Glass, is a Portland-based glassblower. Perhaps more accurately described as a lamp or flameworker, Rangel utilizes an open-flame torch to handcraft masterpieces. With his odyssey into glass beginning in 2012, Rangel has accrued over a decade of combined experience in the art form. “Glassblowing was just something that I fell in love with,” Rangel explained. “After my mom passed, I didn’t have a lot of things that I really cared about. But glassblowing was just something that I enjoyed doing. It really helped me through that time. . . . I spent probably 12 hours a day just . . .

  • Missouri Lawmakers Pass Bill To Ban Intoxicating Hemp THC Products, Sending It To Governor
    by Marijuana Moment on April 4, 2026 at 1:18 pm

    The legislation also has provisions to protect marijuana consumers’ privacy and cannabis workers’ right to unionize. By Rebecca Rivas, Missouri Independent A bill now heading to Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe’s (R) desk would take all intoxicating hemp products off the shelves starting November 12-including THC seltzers currently sold in bars and grocery stores-aligning state law with an upcoming federal ban. If Congress reverses course and decides to allow the sale of these products, Missouri would only permit them to be sold in licensed marijuana dispensaries. And if Congress chooses to delay the . . .

  • Glass Artist: Pinky Brewtz
    by Matt Jackson on April 4, 2026 at 5:37 am

    According to Aaron Gutierrez, even his grandmother calls him “Pinky.” What started as a childhood nickname has evolved into his professional moniker. And while Gutierrez is better known as “Pinky Brewtz” in the world of glassblowing, Pinky Brewtz is better known as “the Jaguar Man.” Much of Gutierrez’s work portrays the image of an Aztec warrior wearing a jaguar helmet, his face inside the gaping mouth, head wreathed in feathers. His rigs seem almost ceremonial and have become high-priced items in the world of glass. From his home in San Diego, Gutierrez told California Leaf, “From the . . .

  • Budtender of the Month: Andy Metzler
    by Northwest Leaf Staff on April 4, 2026 at 5:06 am

    Andy Metzler is old school to the core and definitely qualifies as a local at Mount Baker. This guy rips the slopes; we’ve seen it firsthand. He’s spent countless years around Cannabis, focusing mainly on cultivation and distribution for decades. But now he lends his knowledge and friendly presence to the retail side of the market. Metzler was born in Colorado but raised in the Puyallup area. He went back to Colorado to attend a university, but ultimately ended up making Bellingham his home for the last few decades so he could enjoy Mount Baker’s amazing runs and backcountry. Back in the day, . . .

  • Newsbrief: D.C. could allow locally made weed drinks
    by Week_admin on April 3, 2026 at 11:10 pm

    In an effort to support the craft drinks industry, Washington D.C. could soon allow cannabis beverages to be produced by existing breweries and distilleries. The goal is to support local businesses hit by declining alcohol consumption. Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) sees the proposal as an opportunity for collaboration between the city’s alcohol and cannabis businesses. “This is a new opportunity for those two markets to collaborate and create a safe and . . . Log in or become a WeedWeek Member to read this article. The post Newsbrief: D.C. could allow locally made weed drinks appeared first on . . .

  • 55 Years Ago Cheech & Chong Recorded Their Most Famous Skit, Simply Called ‘Dave,’ But Known as ‘Dave’s Not Here’
    by Steve Bloom on April 3, 2026 at 8:00 pm

    When Cheech & Chong moved to Los Angeles from Vancouver in 1970, they began recording comedy albums, starting with the Grammy-nominated self-titled debut, which includes their most famous “Dave’s Not Here” routine.

  • Grow Tour: Magnus Premium Flower
    by Northwest Leaf Staff on April 3, 2026 at 7:18 pm

    In the Northgate area of Seattle, a very special garden has been built on decades of experience. As one of the few Black-owned gardens in the state, this team has worked diligently for years to build Magnus Premium Flower into the brand we know today. Leon Verrett has been a prominent personality in the Washington Cannabis space for well over a decade. At times, he is best known for the Seattle Sluggerz Bluntz, a preroll line that has been a staple in the local market for years. The term “magnum opus” couldn’t describe the work and energy he has put into Magnus Premium Flower better. . . .

  • Hawaii Senators Push Congress To Federally Legalize Marijuana And Clear Past Convictions
    by Tom Angell on April 3, 2026 at 6:27 pm

    Hawaii senators have approved a pair of resolutions calling on Congress to federally legalize marijuana, support state efforts to clear people’s conviction records and take steps to facilitate access to banking services for companies in the cannabis industry. “Even though states have made significant policy changes with respect to cannabis, the federal Controlled Substances Act still classifies cannabis as a Schedule I substance,” the measures advanced by the Senate Judiciary Committee in a 5-0 vote on Thursday say, “which means that medical cannabis dispensaries and other cannabis-related . . .

  • Hemp’s AI Moment Is Already Here and It’s Bigger Than Cultivation
    by Cannabis & Tech Today on April 3, 2026 at 5:03 pm

    Artificial intelligence is already reshaping how hemp is grown. What is less obvious and far more important is how it is beginning to reshape how the industry thinks, operates and earns trust. At the 2026 Industrial Hemp International Conference, held in Denver on March 26-27, a panel on AI and the evolution of the hemp industry made that shift clear. What began as a discussion of tools quickly became broader: a conversation about how intelligence, machine-driven and human, will define the next phase of the industry. As Cannabis & Tech Today Editor in Chief Charles Warner explained, “The next . . .

  • Trump Proposes To Keep Protecting State Medical Marijuana Laws From Federal Interference While Blocking DC From Legalizing Recreational Sales
    by Tom Angell on April 3, 2026 at 4:00 pm

    President Donald Trump is requesting that Congress continue to protect state medical marijuana programs from federal interference while also maintaining a policy that has blocked local officials in Washington, D.C. from legalizing recreational cannabis sales. In his Fiscal Year 2027 budget request sent to lawmakers on Friday, the president proposed for the first time to maintain the rider that prevents the Department of Justice from spending any money to “prevent [states] from implementing their own laws that authorize the use, distribution, possession, or cultivation of medical marijuana.” . . .

  • Feds Finalize New Rule Allowing Some Hemp Products As Medicare Advantage Benefits
    by Tom Angell on April 3, 2026 at 2:38 pm

    Federal officials have finalized a rule that will allow coverage of some hemp products as specialized, non-primarily health-related benefits through Medicare Advantage (MA) plans. In a filing set to be published in the Federal Register on Monday, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is clarifying that certain cannabis products that are legal under both state and federal laws are eligible to be reimbursed under the Special Supplemental Benefits for the Chronically Ill (SSBCI) program. Under a previous update to the program adopted in April 2025, CMS determined that all cannabis . . .

  • The Europe Trap: Why U.S. Cannabis Companies Keep Getting It Wrong
    by Cannabis & Tech Today on April 3, 2026 at 2:21 pm

    Europe is the hottest market around for most US cannabis companies, including the tech companies. They enter Europe expecting a familiar landscape, assuming the multiple countries in the EU market will align with their state-by-state experience back home. And they are nearly always unpleasantly surprised. Investors and developers are consistently making the mistake of treating Europe as “America, but later”. Retail vs. Healthcare Infrastructure Structurally, the US built a retail-first market from scratch, with new licenses, new store formats, new tech stacks purpose-built for cannabis. . . .

  • Virginia Cannabis Regulator Posts Job Openings As Governor Considers Adult-Use Sales
    by Graham Abbott on April 3, 2026 at 2:03 pm

    The Virginia Cannabis Control Authority has posted nearly a dozen new job openings as Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D) considers signing a bill to legalize adult-use sales, Marijuana Moment reports. The agency posted 11 full-time, salaried positions, including several director and administrative roles essential to launching a new industry. The General Assembly passed a conference bill last month to legalize adult-use cannabis sales starting January 1, 2027, sending the proposal to Gov. Spanberger for her consideration. Virginia’s previous governor, Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R), vetoed multiple attempts . . .

  • CBD, Medicare, and the New FDA Enforcement Memo
    by Vince Sliwoski on April 3, 2026 at 2:00 pm

    We got a new FDA cannabis enforcement memo on Wednesday, April 1, regarding “hemp-derived CBD research in medical research models.” The general thrust is FDA’s assurance that it won’t interfere with a new federal initiative, which covers up to $500 of hemp-derived products for eligible Medicare patients. That initiative is called the Substance Access Beneficiary Engagement Incentive (“Substance Access BEI”), and it also launched on April 1. The usual suspects are suing to block this program, of course. They’re not doing very well. The FDA Memo is welcome guidance as to the Substance Access . . .

  • North Carolina Governor Steps Up Push For Marijuana Legalization As State Commission Issues New Report
    by Tom Angell on April 3, 2026 at 12:50 pm

    A governor-appointed cannabis commission in North Carolina has issued an interim report after holding months of meetings focused on the issue. The group is recommending that the state move away from a criminalization-based approach to cannabis and toward a system of “robust” regulations that provide for adults’ legal access to THC products. The North Carolina Advisory Council on Cannabis, which Gov. Josh Stein (D) convened last year, says in the new document approved on Thursday that the current “absence of regulation for North Carolina’s intoxicating cannabis market raises numerous . . .

  • Maryland: Lawmakers Advance Legislation Providing Employment Protections for Firefighters’ Off Duty Use of Medical Cannabis
    by NORML on April 3, 2026 at 12:20 pm

    “Patients who take traditional medications do not face punishment in the workplace unless their on-the-job performance is impaired. Patients who consume medical cannabis during their off-hours should be treated equally.” The post Maryland: Lawmakers Advance Legislation Providing Employment Protections for Firefighters’ Off Duty Use of Medical Cannabis appeared first on NORML.

  • FBI Says Agents Can Invest And Work In Hemp Companies But Not Marijuana Industry, Newly Declassified Memo Shows
    by Kyle Jaeger on April 3, 2026 at 12:19 pm

    FBI agents received specific guidance prohibiting them investing in marijuana companies-but not necessarily those that make hemp or CBD products-according to a 2022 memo that the agency released last week for reasons that are unclear. The allowance for hemp investments and work contains an exception blocking involvement with companies whose packaging “promotes marijuana”-including any depiction of a cannabis leaf, however. The now-unclassified policy directive also details restrictions for agents who work or volunteer outside their roles at FBI, stipulating that they could not take . . .

  • Page Burner: ‘The Glassmaker’
    by Katherine Wolf on April 3, 2026 at 6:43 am

    If you love to rip a heady piece and sink into a rich piece of historical fiction, this month’s Page Burner pick is for you: “The Glassmaker” by Tracy Chevalier. The somewhat mystical, time-bending narrative of “The Glassmaker” spans across six centuries, from the height of the Renaissance to modern day. Our journey begins in 1486 along Murano’s famed “canal of glass” in Italy. On this small island in the Venetian Lagoon, glassmaking is a craft so prized that master artisans, or maestros, were once forbidden to leave. It’s here that we meet Orsola Rosso, the eldest daughter in a proud family . . .

  • Shop Review: Greenwolf Bellflower
    by Mike Ricker on April 3, 2026 at 6:08 am

    For over a decade, Greenwolf has been on an undeniable ascent. Having been part of the Cannabis scene since 2014, the founders believe experience has played a major role in the way Greenwolf has maintained happiness and satisfaction among its staff and clientele.Since branding its Bellflower location six years ago, the team has created a unique spot that is different from any other store in Los Angeles. That’s because the approach is all about community givebacks, investing in its all-female staff and a rigid policy that ensures products are fresh. Greenwolf Bellflower has the unique . . .

  • Budtender of the Month: Espie Reinosa
    by California Leaf Staff on April 3, 2026 at 5:49 am

    San Francisco visitors and locals flock to Flore, an intimate dispensary in the Castro District, for its family vibes and personalized service. Flore’s success hinges on assistant general manager and event coordinator Espie Reinosa (@boss_e415), who can be found on the sales floor educating customers. Unlike a corporate chain, Flore in the Castro embodies the personality of its founder, Terrance Alan, the late Cannabis leader. Alan was a grower for Dennis Peron, who co-authored Proposition 215 in 1996. South San Francisco resident Reinosa, 36, said she misses Alan and channels his energy and . . .

  • Shop Review: The Herbery
    by Northwest Leaf Staff on April 3, 2026 at 4:55 am

    The Herbery is a special kind of retailer, one that has always put customer experience in the forefront. Starting back in 2014, they were among the first companies to bring a reliable, safe and educational retail space for Cannabis to the Vancouver area. Northwest Leaf toured The Herbery’s Fourth Plain location. It is their fifth store and serves the same community as their original shop on Northeast 164th Avenue, which closed in 2019. The Fourth Plain location was remodeled from the ground up with a focus on customer service. The parking, online ordering and store layout are specifically . . .

  • Operator intervenes in Catalyst tax suit – Newsletter 4/3/26
    by Week_admin on April 3, 2026 at 4:44 am

    THE BIG IDEA Hi all, Happy Friday! In the newsletter: SCOOP: Operator intervenes in Catalyst tax suit Read up, Alex Send tips, press releases, concerns, feedback and criticism to hello@weedweek.com. Sensitive material to share? Contact Alex on Signal. FROM WEEDWEEK SCOOP: Retailer intervenes in Catalyst tax suit A Los Angeles County retailer has filed a motion to intervene in a long-running lawsuit over how California taxes vapes. The motion alleges the state is not applying the law fairly. PLUS: The latest in Catalyst’s diversion suit against the DCC Read the story Also in WeedWeek: . . .

  • SCOOP: Operator intervenes in Catalyst tax suit
    by Week_admin on April 3, 2026 at 4:37 am

    A Los Angeles County retailer has filed a motion to intervene in a long-running lawsuit over how California taxes vapes. The motion alleges the state is not applying the law fairly. Catalyst, one of the California’s largest retail chains, argues the state’s 15% cannabis excise tax does not apply to cannabis “accessories.” In terms of vapes, this means the tax applies to cannabis oil but not the vape hardware, as long as they are listed separately on the receipt. For a $25 all-in-one . . . Log in or become a WeedWeek Member to read this article. The post SCOOP: Operator intervenes in Catalyst . . .