California’s 97% Problem: Local Bans Feed the Illicit Market
Ten years after Prop 64, the California cannabis map has a pattern you can see from space: the illegal grows cluster where the legal ones are banned. New Department of Cannabis Control data — obtained and first reported by State Affairs, and covered by Marijuana Moment — shows that 96.6 percent of illicit marijuana seized […]
Schumer’s Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act Is Back — With Union Muscle
One day after the DEA closed the record on rescheduling, Congress raised the bid. On July 16, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senators Cory Booker and Ron Wyden reintroduced the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act — the comprehensive bill that would remove marijuana from the Controlled Substances Act entirely. Not Schedule III. Not a […]
Kansas Marijuana Legalization Becomes a Governor’s-Race Wedge
Kansas Marijuana Legalization Splits Governor Race Kansas marijuana legalization just became a live issue in the governor’s race — in one of the last states with no medical-cannabis program at all. Heading into the August 4 primary, cannabis has emerged as a genuine wedge, according to KWCH. The quick lay of the land: on the […]
The KIDS Act Passed the House — and It Quietly Hits Cannabis Ads
KIDS Act: A Hidden Cannabis Advertising Ban If you run cannabis advertising anywhere online, a “kids’ safety” bill you probably didn’t read just became your problem. On June 29 the U.S. House voted 267–117 to pass the Kids Internet and Digital Safety (KIDS) Act, and buried in the text is a provision that could seriously […]
Hawaii’s Hemp Crackdown Hits July 1 — and the Lawsuits Are Already Flying
While Congress dithers over the federal hemp ban, the states aren’t waiting. Hawaii begins enforcing strict hemp retailer and distributor rules on July 1 — banning hemp flower, pre-rolls, and vapes, requiring registration for every seller, and threatening $10,000 fines. A lawsuit challenging the rules has already landed. Hawaii’s grace period for hemp retailer and […]
A New Bill Would Create Federal Weed Scholarships at HBCUs
Congress wants to put cannabis education money where the first wave of legalization didn’t. A new bill called the EDUCATE Act would create a federal cannabis scholarship program at Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Hispanic-Serving Institutions — up to $10,000 a year for students studying the agricultural science behind the plant. Filed June 23 […]
Congress Wants the Air Force and Marines to Take Cannabis Recruits
The military’s recruiting crisis is doing what decades of advocacy couldn’t. A new provision in the defense bill would push the Air Force, Space Force, and Marine Corps to create permanent military marijuana waivers for recruits who test positive for THC — bringing them in line with the Army and Navy, which already do it. […]
California Is Spending $227 Million to Hunt Illegal Weed
California just put serious money behind a problem every legal market shares. On June 25, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced $227 million in Proposition 64 grants to fight illicit cannabis in California — funding local enforcement, youth prevention, public-health programs, and environmental cleanup of illegal grow sites. The grants flow from Prop 64, the 2016 measure […]
The SAFE Banking Act Is Back — Senate and House, Same Week
It’s reunion season for the cannabis industry’s most-introduced bill. The SAFE Banking Act was reintroduced in both chambers of Congress within 24 hours: the Senate version on June 24 and the House companion on June 25. The core fix is the same one operators have begged for since 2019 — stop federal regulators from punishing […]
The White House Just Asked Congress to Save Hemp Before the November Ban
In a move almost nobody saw coming, the White House told Congress to protect hemp products before a broad federal ban kicks in this November. On June 25, OMB Director Russell Vought sent House Speaker Mike Johnson a letter asking Congress to ensure the “fair treatment of hemp products” — by passing a real regulatory […]