News

  • Hemp Farmers And Patients Who Rely On CBD Need More Than Just A Delay In The Looming Federal Ban (Op-Ed)
    by Marijuana Moment on January 19, 2026 at 6:44 pm

    “Merely hitting pause does not protect public health; thoughtful regulation does.” By Sasha Kalcheff-Korn, Realm of Caring While some policymakers are proposing to delay impending hemp restrictions by extending the 2018 Farm Bill, this is just a band-aid and might ultimately create a significant missed opportunity. An extension may temporarily allow farmers to plant this season, but it does nothing to solve the underlying problem. Kicking the can down the road only prolongs uncertainty for farmers, patients and families, plus it guarantees we will be having the same crisis conversation again . . .

  • Missouri Regulators Move To Clarify Medical Marijuana Patients’ Purchasing Limits
    by Marijuana Moment on January 19, 2026 at 5:59 pm

    “It is largely up to individuals and dispensaries to ensure they are in compliance with the portion of this rule related to purchases.” By Rebecca Rivas, Missouri Independent Missouri cannabis regulators have changed their guidance on whether or not medical marijuana patients can purchase from licensed dispensaries as a regular consumer, following complaints over the last year that the state’s policy was an unconstitutional restriction. But the update ended up causing more confusion about what patients can or can’t do, cannabis advocates say. In the FAQ section of Missouri Department of . . .

  • Indiana House Rejects Amendment To Let Farmers Begin Cultivating Marijuana Seeds
    by Tom Angell on January 19, 2026 at 4:28 pm

    The Indiana House of Representatives defeated an amendment aimed at allowing farmers to begin growing marijuana. The amendment, from Rep. Kyle Miller (D), would have directed the state chemist and seed commissioner to issue special use permits to between three and 10 farmers for the cultivation of marijuana seed, with geographic distribution requirements. While Miller framed the proposal as a way to prepare the state for federal marijuana rescheduling under a recent order from President Donald Trump, it was defeated in a voice vote on Thursday. “While this part of the chapter is open, we . . .

  • Marijuana’s Restrictive Federal Classification Isn’t Supported By Science, New Study Concludes
    by Aaron Houston on January 19, 2026 at 2:46 pm

    Marijuana and other drugs are not as dangerous as laws written half a century ago say they are, according to a new scientific review. Since the passage of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) in 1970, U.S. drug laws have been dictated by rigid categories that supposedly reflect the dangers posed by different substances-but the new study suggests that “drug policy contradicts expert assessments of drug harms” both in America and across the world. The results indicate that governments’ legal rankings for substances bear little resemblance to what experts actually know about which drugs cause the . . .

  • Last-Minute Voter Verification Changes In Florida Threaten Cannabis Campaign’s 2026 Bid
    by Graham Abbott on January 19, 2026 at 2:27 pm

    Last week, an official with the Florida Secretary of State’s Office issued new directives to the county supervisors of elections that complicate the state’s voter verification process and could disrupt a bid to put an adult-use cannabis legalization question on the 2026 ballot, the Orlando Sentinel reports. The order came from Maria Matthews, director of the state Division of Elections, but the Secretary of State is a governor-appointed role, and Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) has long opposed adult-use cannabis reforms in the Sunshine State. The Smart & Safe Florida campaign needs to submit just over . . .

  • Montana Surpasses $1 Billion In Total Adult-Use Cannabis Sales
    by Graham Abbott on January 19, 2026 at 2:27 pm

    Cannabis retailers in Montana have sold over $1 billion in cannabis products since the adult-use market’s launch in January 2022, the Montana Free Press reports. Retail licensees set a new annual cannabis sales record last year of $327 million, with adult-use sales accounting for 90% of the total. Medical cannabis has accounted for less and less of the annual sales total with each year since the adult-use market launched. Montana collects a 20% tax on adult-use cannabis sales and a 4% tax on medical cannabis sales. In the four years since legalizing adult-use cannabis, Montana has generated . . .

  • USDA Study Shows Untapped Potential Of Hemp Roots In Pediatric Cancer Treatment
    by Kyle Jaeger on January 19, 2026 at 1:03 pm

    The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is promoting a novel study suggesting that an often underutilized part of the hemp plant-its roots-may hold significant therapeutic potential, including in the treatment of pediatric cancer. Government scientists at USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) “redefined the value of roots in industrial hemp, providing new opportunities for industrial hemp growers and opening new avenues for pediatric cancer research,” the agency said in a press release this week. The study, published in the Journal of Cannabis Research last year, discovered that . . .

  • 2025 Canadian wholesale cannabis pricing and 2026 market outlook
    by David Brown on January 19, 2026 at 12:20 pm

    Entering 2026, the Canadian wholesale cannabis market is expected to be more volatile and competitive due to rapid supply growth, moderating domestic demand, and rising… The post 2025 Canadian wholesale cannabis pricing and 2026 market outlook appeared first on StratCann.

  • Remexian wins preliminary injunction against Vayamed over compliance claims in German court
    by David Brown on January 19, 2026 at 5:19 am

    Remexian wins a preliminary injunction against Vayamed in a Berlin court over disputed medical cannabis compliance claims, with both companies contesting its scope. The post Remexian wins preliminary injunction against Vayamed over compliance claims in German court appeared first on StratCann.

  • Michigan Lawmakers Weigh Bill To Create Statewide Cannabis Reference Lab To Standardize Testing
    by Marijuana Moment on January 18, 2026 at 3:18 pm

    The facility “will allow us to go in and audit the test results of the private labs.” By Katherine Dailey, Michigan Advance In an attempt to ensure tighter safety controls on Michigan’s cannabis industry, Rep. Mike Mueller (R-Linden) presented a bill to the Michigan House Rules Committee Thursday that would establish a statewide cannabis reference laboratory to standardize testing facilities across the state. The legislation, House Bill 4501, would establish a lab that was first given funding in the Fiscal Year 2024 appropriations and that has been in the process of opening since then. Derek . . .

  • MLK Day 2026: Cannabis and Civil Rights
    by Vince Sliwoski on January 18, 2026 at 3:00 pm

    It’s MLK Day once again. I have written an MLK Day post on this blog for nine consecutive years. The theme of all these posts is that cannabis is a civil rights issue, and that Dr. King would have advocated for ending marijuana prohibition based on that fact. Each year, I have demonstrated with facts (upon facts upon facts) that the War on Drugs continues in insidious ways. In, 2024, which is the most recent year that FBI data is available, law enforcement officials made nearly 190,000 arrests for marijuana possession and distribution, comprising over 22% of all drug-related arrests. Of those . . .

  • Newsbrief: Calif. awards $30M in weed research grants
    by Week_admin on January 17, 2026 at 8:44 pm

    The California Department of Cannabis Control(DCC) has awarded $30M in grants to support 22 cannabis research projects. Here are a couple intriguing ones: Immediate and Long-Term Cardiovascular Effects of Smoked and Oral Cannabis: A Controlled Human Drug-Administration StudyUCLASummary: This study will investigate cardiovascular effects of smoked and oral cannabis to inform clinical guidance, product labeling, and statewide cannabis policy.Award amount . . . Log in or become a WeedWeek Member to read this article. The post Newsbrief: Calif. awards $30M in weed research grants appeared first . . .

  • Indiana Lawmakers Approve Bill To Restrict And Regulate Hemp THC Products
    by Marijuana Moment on January 17, 2026 at 4:53 pm

    “We’d just like, in Indiana, some certainty as to these products so that the people manufacturing and selling them know kind of what our laws are.” By Leslie Bonilla Muñiz, Indiana Capital Chronicle Indiana lawmakers seek to align state law with a recently enacted federal ban on intoxicating and synthetic hemp products-over opposition from the burgeoning delta-8 industry. The lengthy, complex legislation also would regulate less potent products that do pass legal muster. But, “there’s going to be no demand,” for products under the proposed threshold, asserted Justin Swanson, representing the . . .

  • Why Robotics and AI Must Replace Patchwork Automation in 2026
    by Industry Articles on January 17, 2026 at 2:55 pm

    By Nohtal Partansky, Founder & CEO, Sorting Robotics Nohtal is a former NASA-JPL engineer, and serial entrepreneur building AI-driven automation solutions transforming cannabis manufacturing across North America with scalable industrial robotics. Table of Contents Two Very Reasonable Paths, Two Very Different Outcomes When Automation Stops Being Incremental Why Manual Intervention Becomes an Engineering Problem Why Systems Thinking Changes the Equation Why 2026 Is the Real Decision Point Cannabis as a Manufacturing Discipline For most of cannabis manufacturing’s short history, automation has . . .

  • Montana Retailers Have Sold More Than $1 Billion Worth Of Recreational Marijuana Since Legalization Took Effect
    by Marijuana Moment on January 17, 2026 at 2:06 pm

    Over the four year period, the state has collected $217 million in cannabis tax revenue. By Jacob Olness, Montana Free Press In the four years since Montana began allowing the legal sale of adult-use marijuana on January 1, 2022, the state’s retailers have sold more than $1 billion in product as adult-use sales rise more than enough to offset a sharp decline in purchases regulated and taxed as a medical product. From January 2022 through December 2025, total monthly medical and adult-use marijuana sales increased by about 13 percent to $27.3 million according to data from the Montana . . .

  • Week in Weed – January 17, 2026
    by Staff on January 17, 2026 at 12:20 pm

    StratCann’s weekly round-up of cannabis industry news for the week ending January 17, 2026. The post Week in Weed – January 17, 2026 appeared first on StratCann.

  • New funding eligibility for the cannabis sector under BC’s Agriculture and Food Export Program
    by David Brown on January 17, 2026 at 3:36 am

    Cannabis producers, processors, and associations are now eligible to apply for funding under British Columbia’s Agriculture and Food Export Program, which includes export market trade… The post New funding eligibility for the cannabis sector under BC’s Agriculture and Food Export Program appeared first on StratCann.

  • 10 hot strains to smoke in 2026
    by Morgan Rosendale on January 16, 2026 at 11:59 pm

    The hotness has arrived, Leafly Nation, we’re calling our shots for the new year. Find our picks for 10 hot strains to smoke in 2026. The post 10 hot strains to smoke in 2026 appeared first on Leafly.

  • Florida adult-use marijuana legalization support dips amid DeSantis’ ‘political war’
    by Chris Roberts on January 16, 2026 at 10:00 pm

    Voter support for Florida cannabis legalization is declining as state officials continue efforts to thwart adult-use cannabis from appearing on 2026 ballots. Florida adult-use marijuana legalization support dips amid DeSantis’ ‘political war’ is a post from: MJBizDaily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs

  • Florida adult-use marijuana legalization support dips amid DeSantis’ ‘political war’
    by Chris Roberts on January 16, 2026 at 10:00 pm

    Voter support for Florida cannabis legalization is declining as state officials continue efforts to thwart adult-use cannabis from appearing on 2026 ballots. Florida adult-use marijuana legalization support dips amid DeSantis’ ‘political war’ is a post from: MJBizDaily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs

  • Ice-T’s New Jersey marijuana store closes amid lawsuit, celebrity cannabis struggles
    by Margaret Jackson on January 16, 2026 at 9:40 pm

    The 5,000-square-foot facility was the second location for The Medicine Woman, following the flagship store in California. Ice-T’s New Jersey marijuana store closes amid lawsuit, celebrity cannabis struggles is a post from: MJBizDaily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs

  • Ice-T’s New Jersey marijuana store closes amid lawsuit, celebrity cannabis struggles
    by Margaret Jackson on January 16, 2026 at 9:40 pm

    The 5,000-square-foot facility was the second location for The Medicine Woman, following the flagship store in California. Ice-T’s New Jersey marijuana store closes amid lawsuit, celebrity cannabis struggles is a post from: MJBizDaily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs

  • What Albertans need to know about cannabis
    by Leafly Staff on January 16, 2026 at 8:56 pm

    Discover what every age group needs to know about the cannabis world, courtesy of AGLC! The post What Albertans need to know about cannabis appeared first on Leafly.

  • Vic Mensa: How to keep cannabis culture alive in the boardroom
    by Chris Roberts on January 16, 2026 at 8:21 pm

    From the block to the boardroom, hip hop and cannabis share a legacy of creativity, resistance, and resilience. As the legal marijuana industry grows, the culture that allowed it to be built must not be left behind. Vic Mensa: How to keep cannabis culture alive in the boardroom is a post from: MJBizDaily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs

  • Vic Mensa: How to keep cannabis culture alive in the boardroom
    by Chris Roberts on January 16, 2026 at 8:21 pm

    From the block to the boardroom, hip hop and cannabis share a legacy of creativity, resistance, and resilience. As the legal marijuana industry grows, the culture that allowed it to be built must not be left behind. Vic Mensa: How to keep cannabis culture alive in the boardroom is a post from: MJBizDaily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs